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MOWRY 
ARIZONA  AND  SONORA 


LMtMY 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

o 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  RESOURCES 


OP 


ARIZONA  &  SONORA : 


BY  HON.    SYLVESTER    MOWRY, 

OF     ARIZONA. 


,  Jdbnwrjj  3,  1850. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    SOCIETY 


WASHINGTON : 

HENET   POLKINHORN,   PRINTER. 

1859. 


anb  §enil£nutt  df  t\t 
Geographical  anb  Siaiiatical 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: 

• 

The  word  Arizona  is  undoubtedly  derived  from  the  Aztec* 
In  the  original  it  is  Arizuma,  and  the  change  is  a  corruption 
into  the  present  word,  which  is  accepted  as  Spanish.  We  have 
no  decided  information  as  to  its  meaning,  but  the  impression 
among  those  who  have  been  curious  enough  to  investigate,  is 
that  it  signifies  "silver-bearing."  This  impression  gains 
strength  from  the  fact  that  the  Arizona  mountains  are  very 
rich  in  silver,  and  that  a  tradition  of  a  silver  mine,  called  La 
Arizona,  of  incredible  richness,  still  exists  among  the  Mexican 
people  near  the  frontier  of  our  newly-acquired  Territory.  The 
proposed  Territory  of  Arizona  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
parallel  of  latitude  33°  40' ;  on  the  east  by  Texas ;  on  the 
south  by  Texas  and  the  Mexican  States  of  Chihuahua  and 
Sonora  ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  Colorado  river,  which  separates 
it  from  California.  This  great  region  is  about  seven  hundred 
miles  long,  with  an  average  width  of  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  and  contains  nearly  100,000  square  miles.  It  is 
twice  as  large  as  New  York ;  embraces  within  its  borders  three 
of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  continent  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
viz :  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Gila,  and  the  Colorado  of  the  West. 
The  Colorado  is  the  only  navigable  stream,  and  by  its  waters 
and  those  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  Arizona  is  placed  in  easy 
communication  with  San  Francisco  and  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
natural  outlet  for  the  productions  of  Arizona  must  be  through 
a  port  on  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  the  acquisition  of  Arizona 
necessitates  the  possession  of  Sonora.  That  portion  of  Arizona 
now  occupied,  and  to  which  public  attention  is  now  attracted 
in  so  remarkable  a  degree,  has  been  better  known  heretofore 


as  the  Gadsden  Purchase.  It  was  acquired  by  purchase  from 
Mexico,  during  the  mission  of  General  Gadsden,  at  a  cost  of 
ten  millions  of  dollars.  In  the  original  treaty,  as  negotiated 
by  General  Gadsden,  a  more  southern  boundary  than  the  one 
adopted  by  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  in  confirming  the 
treaty,  was  conceded  by  Santa  Anna.  The  line  at.  present  is 
irregular  in  its  course,  and  cuts  off  from  our  Territory  the  head 
of  the  Santa  Cruz  river  and  valley,  the  Sonoita  valley,  the 
San  Bernardino  valley,  the  whole  course  of  the  Colorado  river 
irom  a  point  twenty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  river, 
and,  worse  than  all,  the  control  of  the  head  of  .the  Gulf  of 
California,  and  the  rich  and  extensive  valley  of  Lake  Guzman, 
besides  a  large  and  extremely  valuable  silver  region,  well  known 
both  to  Mexicans  and  Americans — the  Planchas  de  la  Plata. 
General  Gadsden's  line  included  nearly  all  the  territory  south 
of  the  Gila  river  to  the  thirty-first  parallel  of  latitude — all  the 
advantages  above  mentioned — and  gave  us  the  mouth  of  the 
Colorado  river. 

The  Gadsden  purchase  is  attached  by  act  of  Congress  to  the 
Territory  of  New  Mexico.  At  the  time  of  its  acquisition 
there  was  scarcely  any  population  except  a  few  scattering 
Mexicans  in  the  Messilla  valley,  and  at  the  old  town  of  Tuc- 
son, in  the  centre  of  the  Territory.  The  Apache  Indian,  su- 
perior in  strength  to  the  Mexican,  had  gradually  extirpated 
every  trace  of  civilization,  and  roamed  uninterrupted  and  un- 
molested, sole  possessor  of  what  was  once  a  thriving  and  popu- 
lous Spanish  province. 

In  the  possession  of  the  writer  of  these  notes  is  a  map  drawn 
in  1757,  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  presented  by  the  Society 
of  Jesuits  to  the  King  of  Spain.  The  original  of  this  map  is 
now  in  the  archives  of t  the  Mexican  Government.  It  was 
copied,  with  the  notes  relating  to  the  Territory,  and  to  Sonora, 
Chihuahua,  and  Sinaloa,  by  Captain  C.  P.  Stone,  late  of  the 
United  States  Army.  The  map  bears  the  inscription,  "  Carte 
levee  par  la  Societe  des  Jesuites,  dediee  au  Roi  d'  Espaqne  en 
1757." 


The  copy  of  the  map  and  the  accompanying  notes  are  certi- 
fied as  accurate  by  the  officer  of  the  Mexican  Government  in 
charge  of  the  archives. 

My  information,  therefore,  upon  the  early  history  of  this 
comparatively  unknown  domain,  is  accurate  and  reliable.  As 
early  as  1687,  a  Jesuit  missionary  from  the  province  of  So- 
nora,  which,  in  its  southern  portion,  bore  already  the  impress 
of  Spanish  civilization,  descended  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz 
river  to  the  Gila.  Passing  down  the  Gila  to  its  mouth,  after 
exploring  the  country,  he  retraced  his  steps,  penetrated  the 
country  north  of  the  Gila  river  for  some  distance,  and  ascended 
the  Salinas  or  Salt  river,  and  other  northern  branches  of  the 
Gila.  The  explorations  of  this  energetic  priest  did  not  stop 
here.  Proceeding  east,  he  explored  the  valley  of  the  San 
Pedro  and  its  branches,  thence  along  the  Gila  to  the  Mimbres, 
and  probably  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Mesilla  valley.  Filled 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  his  sect,  he  procured  authority  from  the 
head  of  the  order  in  Mexico,  and  established  missions  and  set- 
tlements at  every  available  point. 

The  reports  of  the  immense  mineral  wealth  of  the  new  coun- 
try, made  by  the  Jesuits,  induced  a  rapid  settlement.  There 
are  laid  down  on  the  map  before  me  more  than  forty  towns  and 
villages.  Many  of  these  were  of  considerable  size.  There 
were  a  few  north  of  the  Gila,  and  several  on  the  lower  Gila, 
near  the  Colorado.  The  Santa  Cruz  and  its  tributary  valleys 
teemed  with  an  agricultural  and  mining  population.  Thousands 
of  enterprising  Spaniards  cultivated  the  rich  valley  of  the  San 
Pedro,  and  scattered  settlements  flourished  at  every  suitable 
stream  and  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  towards  the  Rio 
Grande.  The  notes  before  me  say : 

"All  these  settlements  and  missions  were  founded  in  fertile  valleys,  and  by 
streams  and  springs,  which  produced  luxuriant  crops  of  wheat,  corn  and 
beans,  and  in  many  parts  grapes  and  other  foreign  fruits  were  cultivated." 

In  the  western  part  of  the  Territory  were  the  missions  of 
•St.  Pierre,  St.'  Paul,  St.  Matthias,  St.  Simond,  St.  Francisco, 
Merci,  the  ranches  of  Eau  Cheri,  Eau  de  la  Lune,  and  others ; 


6 

on  the  Santa  Cruz  the  missions  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  Santi- 
ago, San  Cayetano,  and  San  Philipe,  the  towns  of  Tucson, 
Tubac,  Regis,  San  Agusta,  and  manj  others.  San  Xavier  del 
Bac  is  still  in  existence.  It  is  a  mission  church  of  great  size 
and  beauty,  magnificently  ornamented  within  ;  forty  thouand 
dollars  in  solid  silver  served  to  adorn  the  altar.  Upon  the 
San  Pedro  river  where  the  missions  of  St.  Mark,  San  Salva- 
dore,  San  Pantaleon,  Santa  Cruz,  and  the  towns  of  Quiduria, 
Rosario,  Eugenia,  Victoria,  and  San  Fernando — the  latter  at 
the  mouth — with  many  more.  To  the  east  some  small  settle- 
ments were  found  on  the  Valle  del  Sauz,  on  the  Mimbres,  at 
the  copper  mines  north  of  the  Mimbres,  and  to  the  south  the 
immense  grazing  and  stock-raising  establishment  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  since  have  been  raised  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  cattle  and  .horses.  The  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mis- 
sions were  reduced  first  to  obedience  by  the  Jesuits,  and  then 
to  slavery  by  the  Spaniards. 

The  notes  referred  to  above  contain  the  names  and  localities 
of  more  than  a  hundred  silver  and  gold  mines  which  were 
worked  with  great  success  by  the  Spaniards.  The  survey  of 
the  Jesuit  priest  about  1687  was  repeated  in  1710,  with  renewed 
discoveries,  and  consequent  accession  of  population.  From 
this  time  up  to  1757  the  conquest  and  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try was  prosecuted  with  vigor,  both  by  the  Jesuits'  Society  and 
Spanish  Government. 

The  missions  and  settlements  were  repeatedly  destroyed  by 
the  Apaches,  and  the  priests  and  settlers  massacred  or  driven 
off.  As  often  were  they  re-established.  The  Indians  at  length, 
ihoroughly  aroused  by  the  cruelties  of  the  Spaniards,  by  whom 
they  were  deprived  of  their  liberty,  forced  to  labor  in  the  sil- 
ver mines  with  inadequate  food,  and  barbarously  treated, 
finally  rose,  joined  with  tribes  who  had  never  been  subdued, 
and  gradually  drove  out  or  massacred  their  oppressors.  A 
superior  civilization  disappeared  before  their  devastating  career, 
and  to-day  there  is  scarcely  a  trace  of  it  left,  except  scarcely 
visible  ruins,  evidences  everywhere,  of  extensive  and  hastily- 


deserted  mining  operations,  and  the  tradition  of  the  country. 
The  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  and  the  old  towns  of  Tuc- 
son and  Tubac,  are  the  most  prominent  of  these  remains. 

From  1757  down  to  1820,  the  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  con- 
tinued to  work  many  valuable  mines  near  Barbacora,  and  the 
notes  in  my  possesssion  speak  of  many  silver  mines,  most  of 
which  contained  a  percentage  of  gold.  "  The  San  Pedro  gold 
mine  in  1748  was  worked  with  extraordinary  success."  Among 
the  mines  anciently  worked,  as  laid  down  in  the  authorities 
heretofore  referred  to,  were  the  Dolores,  San  Antonio,  Casa 
Gordo,  Cabrisa,  San  Juan  Batista,  Santa  Anna,  (which  was 
worked  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards,)  Rosa- 
rio,  Cata  de  Agua,  Guadaloupe,  Connilla,  Prieta,  Santa  Cata- 
rina,  Guzopa,  Hurstano,  Arpa,  Descuhidara,  Nascosare,  Ar- 
guage,  Churinababi,  Huacal,  Pinal,  and  a  great  number  of 
others,  which  it  would  only  be  tedious  to  mention. 

Every  exploration  within  the  past  few  years  has  confirmed 
the  statements  of  the  ancient  records.  The  testimony  of  living 
Mexicans,  and  the  tradition  of  the  country,  all  tend  to  the 
same  end.  Colonel  A.  B.  Grey,  Colonel  Emory,  Lieutenant 
Michler,  Lieutenant  Parke,  the  Hon.  John  R.  Bartlett,  late  of 
the  United  States  Boundary  Commission,  all  agree  in  the 
statement  that  the  Territory  has  immense  resources  in  silver 
and  copper.  Colonel  Emory  says  in  his  report : 

"  On  account  of  the  gold  mania  in  California  I  kept  the  search  for  gold 
and  other  precious  metals  as  much  out  of  view  as  possible,  scarcely  allow- 
ing it  to  be  a  matter  of  conversation,  much  less  of  actual  search.  Yet 
enough  was  ascertained  to  convince  us  that  the  whole  region  was  teeming 
with  the  precious  metals.  We  everywhere  saw  the  remains  of  mining 
operations,  conducted  by  the  Spaniards,  and  more  recently  by  the  Mexi- 
cans." 

The  report  enumerates  at  considerable  length  the  various 
localities  examined  by  Colonel  Emory's  party,  and  others,  of 
which  there  could  be  no  doubt. 

The  Hon.  John  R.  Bartlett  says  of  the  "  Salinas,"  one  of 
the  northern  branches  of  the  Gila,  that  it  alone  will  supply 


food  for  a  great  State.  It  must  be  recollected,  in  this  connec- 
tion, that  the  great  mineral  wealth  of  Arizona  will  call  for  and 
amply  repay  for  the  redemption  and  expensive  cultivation  of 
all  the  available  lands,  and  that  irrigation  produces  immensely 
greater  crops  than  the  other  method  of  planting.  Throughout 
the  whole  of  Utah,  irrigation  has  been  resorted  to  with  the 
greatest  success.  The  soil  in  Utah,  in  no  place  that  the  writer 
saw  it,  could  in  any  way  be  compared  to  that  of  the  bottom 
lands  of  Arizona. 

Captain  Whipple,  in  his  valuable  report  of  exploration  for 
the  Pacific  Railroad,  published  by  order  of  Congress,  crossed 
the  upper  part  of  the  region  alluded  to,  and  which  is  watered 
by  the  Rio  Verde  and  Salinas.  He  fully  sustains  me  in  my 
remarks  on  those  rich  valleys. 

"  We  are  in  the  pleasantest  region  we  have  seen  since  leaving  the  Choctaw 
country.  Here  are  clear  rivulets,  with  fertile  valleys  and  forest  trees.  The 
wide  belt  of  country  that  borders  the  Black  Forest,"and  probably  extends 
along  the  Rio  Verde  to  the  Salina  and  Gila,  bears  every  indication  of  being 
able  to  support  a  large  agricultural  and  pastoral  population.  The  valley 
of  the  Rio  Verde  is  magnificently  wooded  with  furs  and  oaks,  affording 
excellent  timber.  Ancient  ruins  are  said  by  trappers  to  be  scattered  over 
its  whole  length  to  the  confluence  with  the  Salinas.  We,  therefore,'seem 
to  have  skirted  the  boundary  of  a  country  once  populous,  and  worthy 
of  becoming  so  again.  Besides  the  advantages  already  enumerated,  the 
mountains  in  this  vicinity  bear  indications  of  mineral  wealth."  Vol.3, 
p.  93. 

The  notes  above  referred  to,  in  the  possession  of  the  writer, 
speak  of  great  farming  and  grazing  establishments  scattered 
over  the  whole  face  of  the  Territory,  between  1610  and  1800, 
which  produced  abundant  crops  -of  cereals,  fruits,  and  grapes. 
These  statements  are  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  Major 
Emory  and  his  report,  where  he  enumerates  several  of  the 
most  extensive — by  Gray,  Bartlett,  Parke,  and  Colonel  Bonne- 
ville.  Many  of  the  ranches,  deserted  by  the  Mexicans  on  ac- 
count of  the  Apache  Indians,  have  upon  them  large,  well-built 
adobe  houses  which  must  have  cost  the  builders  thousands  of 
dollars.  Many  of  these  have  been  occupied  under  squatter 
titles  by  emigrants  within  the  last  few  years.  Of  others,  only 


9 

the  ruins  remain,  having  been  destroyed  by  the  depredations 
of  the  Indians,  or  by  the  heavy  rains  of  succeeding  years.* 

The  country  east  of  the  Rio  Grande  is  a  great  plain,  broken 
only  by  the  Sacramento  and  Gaudalupe  mountains.  Except  in 
the  towns  on  the  river  there  is  no  population.  The  Mescalero 
Apaches  have  until  lately  made  settlements  unsafe.  The  estab- 
lishment of  Fort  Stanton,  and  the  activity  of  the  United  States 
troops,  have,  however,  reduced  this  once  formidable  tribe  innum- 
ber  and  spirit,  so  that  an  early  settlement  of  the  fine  country 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Sacramento  mountains  may  be  expected. 
I  have  not  visited  this  portion  of  the  Territory,  but  from  per- 
sons in  whom  I  have  perfect  confidence,  I  learn  that  there  is  a 
large  and  valuable  district,  offering  great  inducements  to  stock- 
raisers.  A  number  of  bold,  clear  streams,  alive  with  trout  and 
other  fish ;  a  good  proportion  of  arable  land,  and  an  inexhaust- 
ible supply  of  oak,  pine,  hackberry,  and  other  timber.  In  the 
Organ  mountains,  opposite  the  Mesilla  valley,  there  are  silver 
mines  of  great  value.  One  of  these,  the  old  Stevenson  mine — 
now  known  as  the  Fort  Fillmore  mine — has  been  purchased  by 
New  York  capitalists,  and  preparations  are  making  to  develop 
its  undoubted  wealth. 

The  Rio  Grande  valley,  including  the  well  known  Mesilla, 
contains  a  large  extent  of  unocc.upied  arable  land,  with  plenty 
of  water  for  irrigation.  Until  lately,  the  protection  afforded 
by  United  States  troops  has  enabled  the  people  to  cultivate  in 
safety,  and  during  the  last  year  nearly  one  hundred  thousand 
bushels  of  grain  were  raised  in  the  valley,  besides  a  large  num- 
ber of  cattle  and  horses.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the 
settlements  here,  although  mostly  Mexican,  have  been  made 
since  the  United  States  acquired  the  Territory,  and  that  the 
lands  are  held  under  American  title.  The  population  is  quiet, 
well  behaved,  and  thoroughly  American  in  feeling.  It  is  esti- 
mated, and  I  believe  correctly,  that  at  least  50,000  people  can 
be  settled  on  the  Rio  Grande  within  the  Arizona  boundaries, 
and  there  are  many  attractions  for  the  farmer  and  stock-raiser. 
West  of  the  Rio  Grande  the  country  is  a  succession  of  mesas 

*  See  Memoir  of  Arizona,  by  Lieut.  Mowry.  from  which  the  foregoing  description  is  taken. 


10 

or  table  lands,  ascending  gently  for  nearly  ninety  miles  to  the 
Sierra  Madre,  and  thence  westward  For  five  hundred  milesr 
gradually  descending  until  they  reach  the  Gulf  of  California. 
This  extensive  plateau  south  of  the  Gila,  is  broken  by  two 
well  defined  ranges  of  mountains,  the  Chir-aca-hui  and  Santa 
Rita,  and  by  a  number  of  isolated  peaks,  which  assume  some- 
thing the  form  of  a  sugar-loaf,  and  are  called  by  the  Mexicans 
Picachos  and  Peloncillos. 

The  sun  never  shone  on  a  finer  grazing  country  than  upon 
the  three  hundred  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  traveller 
has  before  him  throughout  this  entire  distance  a  sea  of  grass, 
whose  nutritious  qualities  have  no  equal,  and  the  stock-raiser  in 
January  sees  his  cattle  in  better  condition  than  our  Eastern 
farmer  his  stall-fed  ox.  Ninety  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande 
is  the  Mimbres  river  and  valley.  Passing  over  the  dividing 
ridge  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  with  so  gentle  an  ascent  and  de- 
scent as  to  make  it  almost  imperceptible,  you  descend  into  a 
wide  and  beautiful  valley,  which  at  no  distant  day  will  support 
a  large  population.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  covered  with  a 
fine  growth  of  cottonwood,  and  above  the  usual  crossing  for 
emigrants,  wild  grapes  and  berries  are  found  in  great  profu- 
sion. The  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre  copper  mine,  of  ancient  fame, 
and  a  little  to  the  northwest. of  the  Mimbres,  has  lately  been 
re-opened  by  a  capitalist,  who  has  already  began  to  reap  the 
reward  of  his  enterprise.  One  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
pounds  of  this  copper  were  sold  a  few  months  since  to  the 
Chihuahua  mint  for  thirty-five  cents  per  pound.  A  quantity 
has  been  sent  to  London  and  to  New  York  to  be  experimented 
on.  It  is  claimed  that  the  superior  malleability  and  ductility 
of  this  copper  must  make  the  demand  for  it  very  great.  The 
Mimbres  river  sinks  before  reaching  the  line  of  Mexico.  Some 
statements,  which  I  have  never  been  able  to  authenticate,  make 
it  flow  in  very  rainy  seasons  into  Lake  Guzman.  The  Suance 
or  Valle  de  Sauz  is  the  next  valley  on  the  line  of  the  emigrant 
road.  The  waters  of  this  stream  are  very  limited  and  inter* 
mittent.  As  it  approaches  the  Gila  the  valley  becomes  better, 


11 

but  it  will  never  be  available  for  extensive  agriculture.  The 
San  Pedro  river  and  valley,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  west 
of  the  Ilio  Grande,  is  par  excellence  the  agricultural  district 
south  of  the  Gila.  The  valley  is  wide,  very  rich  soil,  and  ia 
considerably  ovor  one  hundred  miles  in  length.  Owing  to  the 
depredations  of  the  Apaches,  no  settlements  have  yet  been 
made  in  this  valley.  There  is,  near  the  junction  of  the  San 
Pedro  with  the  Gila,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Arivypa,  a  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  region.  A  fine  growth  of  ash  covers  the 
valley.  The  Santa  Rita  mountains,  which  separate  the  San 
Pedro  and  Santa  Cruz,  contain  inexhaustible  supplies  of  pine 
€ind  oak,  besides  untold  millions  of  the  precious  metals.  A 
military  post  of  four  companies  at  the  mouth  of  the  Arivypa 
would  open  this  entire  country  to  settlement. 

Still  following  the  emigrant  and  mail  road  fifty  miles,  brings 
us  to  the  old  Mexican  town  of  Tucson  and  the  valley  of  the 
Santa  Cruz.    Like  most  of  the  stream?,  the  Santa  Cruz  is  inter- 
mittent, sinking  and  rising  at  irregular  intervals.    A  portion  of 
this  valley  is  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  cottonwood.    The 
mountains  in  the  vicinity  contain  pine  and  oak,  and  the  ex- 
tensive tracts  of  grazing  lands  south  to  the  Mexican  line,  are 
covered  thickly  with  the  nesquit — the  best  fuel  in  the  world. 
The  town  of  Tucson  now  contains  about  a  thousand  inhabitants 
It  once  had  three  thousand,  but  the  Indians,  who  desolated  the 
whole  of  the  Territory,  had  driven  away  all  but  about  two  hun- 
dred at  the  time  of  the  Gadsden  Purchase.     Nine  miles  from 
Tucson,  as  you  go  up  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  is  the  old 
mission   church   of  San  Xavier,  to  which  I  have  alluded  else- 
where.    It  is  stilll  surrounded  by  a  Papago  Indian  village,  a 
few  tame  Apaches,  and  a  few  whites  also  live  under  the  shadow 
of  its   towers.      Incredible  as  the  statement  may  seem,   the 
church  of  San  Xavier,  with  its  elaborate  facade,  its  dome  and 
spires,  would  to-day  be  an  ornament  to  the  architecture  of  this 
great  metropolis.    No  better  evidence  is  needed  of  the  resources 
and  former  prosperity  of  Arizona  than  is  to  be  found  in  the 
now  deserted  missions  of  San  Xavier  and  Tumacacori. 


12 

The  town  of  Tubac,  fifty  miles  southeast  of  Tucson,  which 
now  boasts  a  population  of  several   hundred,  was  entirely  de- 
serted up  to  1855,  when   it  was  re-occupied  in  part  by  the 
Sonora  Exploring   and   Mining   Company.      They   claim   the 
town,  and  have  given  permission  to  a  number  of  emigrants  to- 
occupy   the    old   houses,    and    build    new    ones.     Over  what 
was    once    the    towers    of    the    barracks    of    the    Mexican 
troops,    now  floats   a   banner   bearing   the    arms    of    peace 
a  hammer  and  pick,  the  insignia  of  the  company ;  and  in  the 
rooms  beneath,  which  once  echoed  to  the  tread  of  the  successful 
Apache  fighter,  are  now  sold  the  calicoes  and  cotton  goods  of 
Lowell,  and  all  manner  of  Yankee  notions.      The  great  Hunt- 
zelman  mine,  the  mines  of  Arivaca,  Sopori  and  Santa  Rita  are 
within  a  circle  of  twenty  miles  from  Tubac.    Three  miles  from 
Tubac  is  the  mission  of  Tumacacori.     Its  venerable  walls  now 
shelter  political  exiles  from  Sonora,  and  a  few  enterprising 
Germans,  and  its  rich  lands  are  cultivated  by  the  American 
squatter.     Twelve  miles  further  up  the    Santa  Cruz  is  the 
Bancho  of  Calabazas,  claimed  as  the  property  of  the  Gandara 
family,  of  Sonora.     The  extensive  buildings  are  occupied  by 
American  families,  and  the  blacksmith's  forge  is  installed  in  3 
room   once   dedicated   to  more   delicate  uses.      The  Sonoita 
valley,  which  opens  into  the   Santa  Cruz,  near  Calabazas,  is 
the  only  one  in  any  degree  protected  by  the  United   States- 
troops.     It  is  about  fifty  miles  long,  in  no  place  exceeding  a 
mile  in  width,  and  generally  much  narrower.     When  I  passed 
up  it  to  Fort  Buchanan,  the  whole  valley  was  golden  with  grain. 
In  one  field  there  were  one  hundred  and   fifty  acres   of  corn. 
I  counted  upon  four  stalks  eighteen  full-grown  ears,  and  the 
average  height  of  the  stalks  was  fifteen  feet.    When  it  is  borne 
in  mind  that  this  land  was  but  just  turned,  the  corn  planted, 
and  neither  hoed  or  suckered,  I  am    sure  it  will  be   conceded 
that  there  is  some  agricultural  land  of  value  in  Arizona.     On 
several  of  the  farms  two  crops  were  raised  last  year,  wheat 
and   corn,    wheat    and   beans,    and    other   vegetables.      The 
farmer  during  the  past  year  found  a   ready  market  for  his- 


IB 

produce,  his  purchasers  being  the  troops  and  the  Overland 
Mail  Company.  This  valley  is  almost  entirely  taken  up  by  an 
intelligent  and  adventurous  American  population ;  and  here  is 
almost  the  only  place  in  Arizona  where  you  find  that  greatest 
of  all  blessings  on  the  frontier,  American  women. 

The  Santa  Cruz  and  San  Pedro  approach  each  other  near 
the  Mexican  line,  and  by  way  of  Santa  Cruz,  a  Mexican 
town  at  the  head  of  the  valley  in  Sonora,  you  can 
pass  from  one  to  the  other  with  ease.  The  whole  region 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Santa  Cruz  is  broken  with 
conical-shaped  hills  and  mountains,  called  by  the  Mexicans 
peloncillos.  At  the  foot  of  these  hills  are  found  springs,  which 
afforded  water  to  the  immense  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  which 
once  covered  the  country ;  and  at  many  of  these  springs  are 
found  the  ruins  of  buildings  occupied  by  the  herders.  The 
hills  are  covered  to  the  top  with  the  gramma,  and  other  nutri- 
tious grasses. 

Twenty  miles  east  of  the  Sonoita  valley,  and  just  north  of 
the  town  of  Santa  Cruz,  is  one  of  the  richest  silver  regions  of 
Arizona. 

The  Wachupe  mountain  is  believed  to  be  inexhaustible  in 
silver.  The  San  Antonio  and  Patagonia  mines,  lately  opened, 
promise  a  rich  yield  to  their  owners.  One  of  these  is  of 
especial  value,  yielding,  besides  a  large  percentage  of  silver, 
53  per  cent,  of  lead,  which  is  purchased  readily  by  the  sur- 
rounding mining  companies,  to  be  used  in  reducing  their  ores* 

The  once  celebrated  Compadre  mines,  lately  re-discovered, 
are  in  this  vicinity.  The  present  fortunate  proprietors  found 
them  after  long  and  painful  search.  The  shafts  were  found 
carefully  concealed,  partially  filled  with  rubbish  ;  and  thirteen 
furnaces  in  tolerable  preservation,  prove  how  extensively  the 
mines  were  once  worked  by  the  Spaniards.  Here,  as  in  the 
whole  of  Arizona,  the  work  of  prospecting  and  exploring  has 
but  just  begun.  The  ores  of  this  district  are  principally  argen- 
tiferous galena. 

West  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  and  south  of  the  valley  of  the  Gila 


14 

to  the  Colorado  river,  the  territory  is  generally  an  irreclaimable 
desert.  Its  mountains  abound  in  the  precious  metals,  and  a 
sufficiency  of  water  for  mining  operations  can  usually  be  ob- 
tained without  exorbitant  expense.  The  celebrated  Ajo  copper 
mine,  now  known  as  the  Arizona  copper  mine,  is  in  this 
district. 

Mr.  Edward  E.  D unbar,  whose  facile  pen  has  lately  pre* 
sented  to  the  public,  through  the  columns  of  the  Daily  Times, 
some  lifelike  sketches  of  this  portion  of  Arizona,  was  formerly 
the  director  of  this  mine,  and  the  first  I  believe  to  demonstrate 
the  fact  that  water  could  be  obtained.  I  take  much  pleasure 
in  bearing  testimony  to  the  conscientious  regard  for  truth  which 
characterizes  Mr.  Dunbar's  statements;  and  although  I  am 
forced  to  differ  with  him  in  some  of  his  conclusions,  his 
knowledge  of  the  country,  gained  by  a  long  and  painful  expe- 
rience, entitle  his  opinion  to  much  respect.  The  Arizona  mine 
will  one  day  prove  of  immense  value ;  like  the  rest  of  the 
mining  companies,  it  needs  the  outlet  on  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia. The  valley  of  the  Colorado  is  fertile,  and  will  produce 
all  the  tropical  fruits,  as  well  as  the  cereals.  The  Indians, 
favored  by  the  annual  overflow,  raise  abundant  crops  of  wheat, 
corn,  pumpkins,  melons  and  beans.  The  remains  of  extensive 
irrigating  canals  ehow  that  at  some  day  long  past,  a  large 
agricultural  population  lived  here.  The  extreme  heat  of  the 
climate  in  the  summer  months  will  prevent  white  labor  from 
agricultural  pursuits  to  any  great  extent.  Rice,  sugar  and 
cotton  are  best  adapted  to  the  soil  of  the  Colorado  bottom. 
There  is,  in  places  along  the  bank,  a  fine  growth  of  cotton- 
wood,  and  the  whole  valley  abounds  with  the  mesquit.  This  is 
the  only  portion  of  the  territory  where  the  heat  is  excessive. 

The  valley  of  the  Gila  river,  whose  waters,  kflowing  from 
east  to  west,  divide  the  Territory  nearly  in  the  centre,  four 
hundred  miles  long,  can  in  most  places  be  brought  under 
cultitivation  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 

Since  the  discovery  of  gold,  a  number  of  farms  have  been 
opened,  and  hundreds  of  acres  of  rich  land  put  under  cultiva- 


15 

tion.  The  Gila  empties  into  the  Colorado,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  above  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California.  It 
is  well  to  observe  here,  that  the  diiference  in  soil  in  different 
latitudes  has  not  been  sufficiently  appreciated.  The  same  soi} 
which  under  the  climate  of  Oregon  is  barren  and  worthless, 
becomes  under  the  more  genial  sun  of  Arizona,  fruitful,  and 
when  irrigated  produces  the  same  extraordinary  crops  as  are 
found  in  California. 

The  land  cultivated  by  the  Pimos  on  the  Gila  seems  inex- 
haustible. Year  after  year  they  cultivate  the  same  crops  on 
the  same  land  with  nothing  but  water  to  enrich  it,  and^there  is 
no  sign  of  failure. 

The  valley  known  as  La  Florida,  near  the  mountain  of  the 
same  name,  in  longitude  109°,  is  worthy  of  especial  mention, 
as  having  at  its  head  the  ruins  of  a  once  flourishing  town. 
A  large  population  will  again  occupy  it  at  no  distant  day. 
But  little  is  known  of  the  country  north  of  the  Gila ;  it  is 
very  mountainous,  but  contains  several  valleys  of  con- 
siderable size,  nearly  all  of  which  bear  the  impress  of  an 
ancient  and  superior  civilization.  The  principal  northern 
tributaries  of  the  Gila,  are  the  Salado,  the  Tuberoso,  the  San 
Carlos,  and  the  San  Francisco,  (sometimes  called  the  Alamos.) 
The  Salado,  according  to  my  informant,  Marcial,  an  Apache 
Chief,  has  six  small  branches  :  four  flowing  from  the  east ;  two 
from  the  west.  The  Salado  is  the  largest  of  all  these  streams, 
and  has  its  source  about  latitude  34°  in  the.  Sierra  Blanca 
mountains. 

On  all  of  these  streams  the  Apache  Indian  cultivates  crops, 
principally  of  corn.  The  band  known  as  the  Coyetero,  Final, 
or  Sierra  Blanca,  cultivate  most ;  although  they  have  had  the 
least  intercourse  with  the  whites. 

The  Indians  of  Arizona  are  best  classed  as  friendly  and 
hostile.  The  friendly  Indians  are  the  Pimos,  Maricopas,  Pa- 
pagos  and  Yumas,  with  a  few  scattering  miserable  tame 
Apaches.  The  Pimos  and  Maricopas  occupy  a  beautiful  and 
fertile  tract  on  the  Gila,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  its 


16 

junction  with  the  Colorado.  A  brave  and  hospitable  race  ;  they 
live  in  villages,  and  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace.  Their  regular 
fields,  well-made  irrigating  ditches,  and  beautiful  crops  of  cot- 
ton, wheat,  corn,  pumpkins,  melons  and  beans,  have  not  only 
gladdened  the  eye,  but  also  given  timely  assistance  to  the 
thousands  of  emigrants  who  have  traversed  Arizona  on  their 
way  to  the  Pacific.  The  costume  of  the  Pimos  is  extremely 
simple,  only  covering  their  loins,  and  a  small  straw  hat  — 
except  in  the  case  of  the  Chiefs,  who  wear  a  sort  of  pantaloon 
of  coarse  cotton  cloth.  The  Pimos  and  Apaches  wage  here- 
ditary and  fierce  war ;  in  which  the  Pimos  are  generally  the 
victors.  So  high  were  their  services  valued  by  the  Mexican 
government,  as  a  barrier  to  the  incursions  of  the  Gila  Apaches, 
that  whenever  they  visited  the  Mexican  towns,  the  authorities 
treated  them  with  marked  hospitality  and  kindness,  making 
them  presents  of  value,  to  be  paid  for  by  the  public  treasury. 
Much  as  we  pride  ourselves  upon  our  superior  government,  no 
measures  have  been  taken  to  continue  our  friendly  relations 
with  the  Pimos — and  to  our  shame  be  it  said,  it  is  only  to  the 
forbearance  of  these  Indians  that  we  owe  the  safety  of  the  life 
of  a  single  American  citizen  in  Central  or  Western  Arizona,  or 
the  carriage  of  the  mails  overland  to  the  Pacific.  The  Marico- 
pas  live  near  the  Pimos,  and  by  contiguity  and  intermarriage 
have  become  similar  in  their  customs.  The  Papagos  resembla 
but  are  inferior  to  the  Pinos ;  do  not  cultivate  so  much,  and 
live  in  scattered  villages  in  the  central  and  western  parts  of  the 
territory.  The  Apaches,  tribe  of  fatal  memory  for  Sonora, 
and  all  northern  Mexico,  are  best  classified  under  their  modern 
names.  The  Mescaleros,  east  of  the  Rio  Grande ;  the  Mim- 
bres,  Mogollones,  Chir-aca-huis,  Coyeteros  or  Pinaleros,  Sierra 
Blanca,  and  the  Tontos.  In  the  order  I  have  mentioned  them, 
west  from  the  Rio  Grande,  all  of  these  have  their  homes  north 
of  the  Gila,  except  the  Chiracahuis.  Velasco  says  these  tribes 
have  no  fixed  residence,  no  common  society,  no  positive  ante- 
cedents ;  they  are  best  compared  to  the  prairie  wolf,  sneaking, 
cowardly,  revengeful,  quick  to  assassinate  the  weak,  and  to  fly 


17 

from  or  yield  to  the  strong.  It  is  impossible  for  one  who  has 
not  seen  Northern  Mexico,  to  imagine  the  desolation  they  have 
made  in  a  country  where  nature  has  done  so  much.  The  name 
Infeliz  Sonora — most  unhappy — given  by  all  the  old  writers, 
is  most  painfully  true ;  from  the  Gila  in  latitude  32°  30',  to 
Guaymas  in  latitude  28°,  their  ravages  are  everywhere  visible. 
Horrible  as  is  the  statement,  more  than  one-fourth  of  the 
Apaches  of  to-day  are  Mexican  captives,  or  their  descendants. 
Not  only  ranches,  and  villages,  and  towns,  but  whole  districts, 
have  been  depopulated,  and  the  work  is  still  going  on.  In 
small  parties,  and  by  different  mountain  passes,  they  descend 
into  Sonora,  surprise  and  attack  a  train  of  travelers  or  a 
town,  massacre  the  men,  and  carry  off  the  women,  with  such 
booty  as  they  can  hastily  seize,  to  their  haunts  on  the  Gila. 

I  obtained  from  Marcial,  a  leading  Apache  chief,  and  still  a 
Mexican,  much  valuable  information  respecting  these  Indians. 
He  had  been  carried  off  while  a  child,  and  had  become,  like  his 
captors,  savage.  Velasco  says,  "  without  hesitation  it  must  be 
admitted,  that  under  no  good  treatment  does  the  Apache  yield 
his  barbarism,  his  perfidy,  or  his  atrocity;  notwithstanding 
the  many  treaties  of  peace  made  with  the  Pueblos,  and  the 
constant  campaigns  against  them,  upon  the  first  opportunity 
they  break  faith,  and  become  worse  than  before." 

"  Though  it  is  incontrovertible  that  the  Apaches  are  the 
most  ferocious  tribe  on  our  borders,  yet  the  same  may  be  said, 
even  of  them  who  from  the  time  of  the  conquest  belong  among 
us;  they  call  themselves  pacific,  yet  have  never,  generally 
speaking,  had  sympathy  with  the  whites ;  they  have  not  adopted 
our  manners  and  customs,  nor  have  we  existing  between  us  that 
confidence  which  inspires  a  same  race,  when  they  profess  the 
same  principles  of  social  ties  ;  in  fact,  during  the  whole  period 
of  time  that  they  have  been  subordinates  of  our  government, 
they  have  followed  a  system  of  contradiction  and  opposition 
against  it  as  far  as  they  were  able.  The  unequivocal  proof  of 
this  truth  has  been  the  frequent  assaults  that  they  have  made 
3 


18 

upon  us  under  the  pretext  of  foolish  stories  with  which  they 
were  misled,  and  sometimes  without  any  causes  at  all." 

The  whole  number  of  Apache  warriors  does  not  exceed  two 
thousand.  I  have  investigated  this  subject  with  probably  more 
care  than  any  other  person,  and  am  satisfied  the  number  is 
rather  under  than  over  the  truth. 

Being  cowardly,  they  are  afraid  of  Americans,  and  do  not 
murder.  Their  depredations  in  our  territory  are  mostly  con- 
fined to  stealing  cattle,  horses  and  mules.  Arizona  will  have 
no  peace,  and  her  great  wealth  as  a  pastoral  region  must  remain 
undeveloped,  until  the  War  Department  sends  a  strong  force, 
and  reduces  them  by  fear  to  absolute  submission,  They  must 
be  fed  by  the  government,  or  exterminated.  They  know  no 
alternative  but  to  steal  or  starve ;  and  Northern  Mexico  has 
been  their  prey  for  too  many  years  for  them  to  learn  the  arts 
of  peace.* 

The  Navajoes  are  included  by  Yelasco  among  the  Apaches. 
They  live  in  New  Mexico  along  the  34th  parallel,  north  lati- 
tude. 

The  Yumas,  the  remains  of  a  once  powerful  tribe,  live  on 
the  Colorado,  near  the  Gila ;  they  are  quiet ;  sufficiently  agri- 
cultural to  subsist.  A  few  years  will  leave  only  their  name. 

The  climate  of  Arizona,  except  on  the  Lower  Gila  and  the 
Colorado,  is  delicious ;  never  extremely  hot,  with  cool  summer 
nights,  it  offers  great  attractions  to  those  who  desire  more 
genial  skies  than  those  of  the  North.  Snow  never  lays  in  the 
winter,  seldom  falls  ;  frost  is  rare,  though  the  nights  are  often 
cold,  seldom  freezing.  The  season  for  cultivating  is  long, 
fruits  blooming  in  February  and  March.  Cotton,  corn,  wheat, 
barley,  tobacco,  melons,  grapes,  peaches,  and  all  the  vegetables, 
yield  profuse  crops  throughout  the  territory.  The  grape  of  the 
Rio  Grande  valley  has  no  superior,  and  wine  of  good  quality  is 
manufactured  from  it.  The  rainy  season  in  Arizona  is  from 
June  to  September,  inclusive. 

*  Since  this  address,  information  has  been  received  of  the  murder  of  several 
Americans  by  the  Apaches. 


19 

Professor  Henry  has,  I  believe,  demonstrated  that  no  rain 
falls  in  Arizona  or  Sonora.  I  have  not  seen  his  paper,  but 
understand  it  is  a  beautiful  theory.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted, 
for  his  sake,  although  not  for  the  country,  that  the  facts  are 
against  it.  Cultivation  in  Arizona  is  by  irrigation.  It  is 
believed  by  those  who  are  capable  of  judging,  that  with  subsoil 
plowing,  good  crops  can  be  obtained,  and  the  results  of  one 
year  are  quoted  in  support  of  the  theory.  It  will  take  a  series 
of  years  to  prove  it  satisfactorily  to  the  farmer.  The  yield 
throughout  Arizona  is  two  crops  from  the  same  land  in  each 
year. 

The  population  of  Arizona  to-day  exceeds  ten  thousand  souls, 
exclusive  of  Indians ;  two-thirds  of  it  is  established  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  in  the  towns  of  Mesilla,  Las  Cruces,  La  Mesa,  Don 
Ana,  Amoles,  Santa  Tomas,  Santa  Babara,  Pichacho,  and  the 
surrounding  ranches.*  The  American  population  of  the  terri- 
tory is  not  far  from  two  thousand — this  is  rapidly  increasing, 
and  the  ensuing  spring  will  see  it  vastly  increased.  The  gold 
discoveries,  the  overland  mail — which  runs  throughout  the 
entire  length  of  Arizona — the  large  amount  of  capital  invested 
in  the  silver  mines,  together  with  the  increasing  movement  west- 
ward of  our  people,  will  add  largely  to  the  already  vigorous 
and  enterprising  population  of  the  new  territory.  It  must  be 
added  that  there  is  no  law  or  protection  from  the  government ; 
every  man  redresses  his  wrongs  with  the  pistol  or  khife,  or 
submits  in  silence. 

The  Gadsden  Purchase  was  not  originally  an  integral  part 
of  Mexico ;  it  was  acquired  years  after  the  Treaty  of  Gaudaloupe 
Hidalgo,  and  was  only  attached  to  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico 
as  a  temporary  expedient.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the 
Gadsden  Purchase,  with  the  portion  of  New  Mexico  which  it  is 
proposed  to  include  within  the  limits  of  the  Territory  of  Ari- 
zona, is  separated  from  New  Mexico  proper  by  natural  bound- 
aries ;  that  it  derives  no  benefit  from  the  present  connection  ; 

*  Including  the  floating  population  of  the  Gila  gold  mines. 


20 

and  that  any  opposition  to  the  desired  legislation  arises  from 
the  Mexican  population,  which  fears  the  influence  of  a  large 
American  emigration.  Moreover,  that  New  Mexico  contains 
upwards  of  200,000  square  miles,  and  that  its  organic  act  pro- 
vides for  its  partition ;  showing  clearly  that  Congress  antici- 
pated, at  no  remote  day,  the  settlement  of  the  country  by 
an  American  population,  and  its  erection  into  several  Territo- 
ries and  States.  The  only  effect  of  the  present  connection  of 
Arizona  with  New  Mexico  is  to  crush  out  the  voice  and  senti- 
ment of  the  American  people  in  the  Territory ;  and  years  of 
emigration,  under  present  auspices,  would  not  serve  to  counter- 
balance or  equal  the  influence  of  the  60,000  Mexican  residents 
of  New  Mexico.  New  Mexico  has  never  encouraged  Ameri- 
can population.  She  is  thoroughly  Mexican  in  sentiment,  and 
desires  to  remain  so. 

As  a  matter  of  State  policy,  the  organization  of  Arizona  is 
of  the  first  importance.  Situated  between  New  Mexico  and 
Sonora,  it  is  possible  now  to  make  it  a  thoroughly  American 
State,  which  will  constantly  exert  its  influence  in  both  direc- 
tions to  nationalize  the  other  two.  New  Mexico  is  at  present 
thoroughly  Mexican  in  its  character  and  vote.  Sonora,  if  we 
acquire  it  at  once,  will  be  the  same.  By  separating  Arizona 
from  it,  and  encouraging  an  American  emigration,  it  will  become 
"the  leaven  which  shall  leaven  the  whole  lump."  By  allow- 
ing it  to  remain  attached  to  New  Mexico,  or  by  attaching  it  to 
Sonora,  when  acquired,  the  American  influence  will  be  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  great  preponderance  of  the  Mexican  vote.  The 
Apache  Indian  is  preparing  Sonora  for  the  rule  of  a  higher 
civilization  than  the  Mexican.  In  the  past  half  century,  the 
Mexican  element  has  disappeared  from  what  is  now  called  Ari- 
zona, before  the  devastating  career  of  the  Apache.  It  is  every 
day  retreating  further  South,  leaving  to  us,  (when  it  is  ripe  for 
our  possession,)  the  Territory  without  the  population. 

The  American  population  is  mostly  concentrated  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  Territory,  in  and  near  the  Santa  Cruz  valley,  and 
on  the  lower  Gila,  at  the  gold  mines.  The  Overland  Mail  Com- 


21 

pany,  by  the  establishment  of  these  stations  at  intervals  rarely 
exceeding  twenty  miles,  have  much  facilitated  intercourse  and 
travel ;  and  the  emigration  of  this  year  will  cluster  around 
these  stations,  pouring  a  line  of  villages  across  the  continent ; 
in  the  language  of  the  President,  "  a  chain  of  American  citi- 
zens which  will  never  be  broken."  The  establishment  of  the 
overland  mail  is  not  only  one  of  the  great  triumphs  of  the  age, 
but  it  is  an  element  of  civilization  which  none  appreciates  but 
the  frontiersman, 

The  ores  of  copper  found  in  Arizona  and  Sonora,  are  usually 
the  sulphurets,  principally  grey.  The  ores  of  silver  are  aurifer- 
ous galena,  native  silver,  auriferous  sulphuret  of  silver,  black 
sulphuret  of  silver,  sulphate  of  silver,  sulphate  of  iron  com- 
bined. The  gangue  is  usually  quartz  or  feldspar.  I  have  be- 
fore me  many  notes  descriptive  of  various  mineral  localities, 
even  to  minuteness,  but  the  limits  of  this  address  will  not  per- 
mit especial  mention  of  them. 

The  development  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  Arizona  has  but 
just  commenced,  yet  enough  has  been  done  to  give  a  brilliant 
promise  for  the  future.  The  Sonora  Company,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Charles  D.  Poston,  Esq.,  and  more  lately  under  that  of 
Major  Heintzelman,  of  the  Army,  have  expended  a  large  capital 
in  opening  and  prospecting  their  rich  possessions.  The  Heint- 
zelman mine — so  called  after  the  President  of  the  company — 
bids  fair  to  become  more  famous  than  any  of  the  great  mines  of 
old  Mexico.  From  a  late  letter  it  is  claimed  that  the  ores  thus 
far  smelted,  yield  the  astonishing  average  of  $950  per  ton.  I 
saw  this  mine  in  September,  of  last  year.  About  two  hundred 
tons  of  the  ore  had  already  been  extracted,  and  the  yield  from 
one  small  furnace  was  about  one  thousand  ounces  per  week. 
At  a  cost  of  $30,000  the  company  have  brought  from  San 
Francisco,  and  erected,  amalgamating  works,  from  which  they 
expect  to  obtain  $3,000  per  day — a  million  a  year.  This  mine 
has  the  most  extraordinary  reputation  throughout  Sonora.  I 
found,  in  travelling  through  the  State,  that  almost  every  shop- 
keeper knew  the  value  of  the  ore.  It  was  obtained  from  the 


22 

miners,  who  had  stolen,  and  sold  or  exchanged  it  for  goods. 
The  Sopori  mine,  which  has  only  been  worked  in  a  small  way, 
promises  also  a  rich  yield.  I  have  cut,  with  a  penknife,  native 
silver  from  ore  taken  from  the  Sopori. 

San  Antonio  and  Patagonia  have  been  already  mentioned, 
as  well  as  the  Compadre  mines.  Many  others  are  known  to 
exist,  and  their  owners  are  only  waiting  for  the  protection  of  a 
Territorial  government  to  commence  work.  Others  are  deterred 
by  want  of  capital.  Several  hundred  thousand  dollars  have 
been  already  invested  in  mines  in  Arizona,  and  several  com- 
panies are  now  forming.  It  is  my  profound  belief  that  the 
most  colossal  fortunes  this  country  has  ever  known  will  be 
made  from  the  mines  of  Arizona  and  Sonora.  The  Santa 
Rita  copper  mine,  near  the  Mimbres,  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, as  has  the  Arizona.  On  the  Colorado,  forty  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  on  navigable  waters,  a  copper  mine  is 
being  efficiently  worked.  It  promises  to  be  inexhaustible,  and, 
from  its  advantageous  position,  must  be  immensely  valuable. 
The  ore  contains  a  percentage  of  gold.  Silver  has  also  been 
found  on  the  Colorado,  also  gold  quartz.  On  the  Gila  copper 
is  abundant.  In  fact,  the  Territory  of  Arizona  seems  inex- 
haustible in  minerals.  Iron,  copper,  silver,  and  gold  are  found 
in  hundreds  of  localities.  A  plumbago  mine  was  discovered 
during  the  past  year. 

Quicksilver  is  the  only  metal  of  which  no  mention  has  yet 
been  made.  I  do  not  know  of  any  in  the  Territory,  though  its 
existence  is  probable. 

Of  the  great  extent  of  the  gold  region  of  Arizona  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  The  late  discovery  of  placers,  or  surface  dig- 
gings, on  the  Gila,  has  long  been  anticipated.  Emory,  in  1849, 
expressed  his  belief  in  its  existence.  Many  an  emigrant,  on 
his  way  to  California,  has  found  "the  color."  Senator  Gwin 
informs  me  that  he  heard  of  gold  on  the  Gila  from  emigrants 
at  San  Diego  in  1849.  All  the  frontiersmen  and  trappers 
unite  in  saying  that  coarse  gold  is  found  in  the  streams  north 
of  the  Gila.  Marcial,  the  Apache  chief  before  mentioned,  told 


me  the  same.  That  gold,  in  quartz  veins,  exists  in  many  parts 
of  the  Territory,  we  know,  not  only  from  ancient  record  and 
tradition,  but  from  actual  observation  and  experiment.  A  vein 
has  been  opened,  and,  as  soon  as  it  is  safe,  will  be  worked,  in 
the  Apache  pass,  four  hundred  miles  east  of  the  present  pla- 
cers. Almost  every  silver  and  copper  vein  yet  opened  shows, 
by  close  analysis,  a  trace  of  gold.  In  the  Sopori  mine  it  has 
gone  as  high  as  three  per  cent.  At  the  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 
the  Mexican  miners,  after  their  day's  labor  is  over  in  the  mine' 
work  the  placers  in  the  vicinity,  making  sure  but  small  wages. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  many  years  since  the  ores  of  this  mine 
were  so  rich  in  gold  as  to  pay  transportation  to  the  city  of 
Mexico  on  mule-back.  A  gold  placer  is  believed  to  exist  near 
a  Papago  village,  south  of  Tucson.  The  evidence  of  rich  gold 
placers  in  northern  Sonora  is  indisputable.  Work  in  them  has 
nearly  or  quite  ceased,  on  account  of  the  Apaches,  but  the 
record  of  their  past  yield  is  enormous.  The  facts  in  reference 
to  the  present  condition  of  the  Gila  gold  mines  in  Arizona  are 
simply  these  :  At  a  point  on  the  Gila  river,  about  twenty  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  and  in  a  succession  of 
sand  hills,  gold  was  discovered  in  September,  1858.  The  em- 
igrants who  were  still  on  their  way  stopped,  and,  the  news 
reaching  California,  others  came  in.  I  visited  the  gold  mines 
early  in  November,  and  found  about  one  hundred  men  and 
several  families.  A  town  called  Gila  city  had  already  been 
laid  out,  and  temporary  houses  of  brush  and  adobe  were  in  the 
course  of  erection.  I  examined  carefully  for  myself,  and  found 
that  several  men  could  afford  to  pay  laborers  $3  per  day 
and  their  board  to  work  for  them.  I  saw  more  than  twenty 
dollars  washed  out  of  eight  shovelfulls  of  dirt — and  this  in  the 
rudest  manner,  and  by  an  unpractised  hand.  I  saw  several 
men  whom  I  knew  well  would  not  have  been  there  had  they 
not  been  doing  well,  who  told  me  they  had  made  from  $30 
to  $125  per  day  each.  I  purchased  about  $300  in  gold  dust 
out  of  a  lot  of  more  than  $2,000.  A  portion  of  this  dust  is  here, 
if  any  one  is  curious  enough  to  wish  to  see  it.  Several  hun- 


24 

dred  men  have  come  into  the  mines  since  I  left  Arizona.  My 
letters  give  me  no  reason  to  suppose  the  mines  have  given  out 
or  shown  any  signs  of  failure.*  The  country  at  this  point  is  not 
inviting,  and  there  are  always,  at  any  gold  diggings,  men  who 
do  not  and  will  not  work,  and  who,  if  they  cannot  make  a  liv- 
ing by  gambling,  or  feeding  upon  some  one  else,  depreciate 
the  country.  Gold  digging  is  the  hardest  of  all  work,  and 
very  precarious  in  the  richest  mines.  A  man  who  is  earning  a 
comfortable  subsistence  at  home  should  hesitate  long  about 
giving  it  up  for  gold  hunting.  The  old  discoveries  of  gold  on 
the  Spanish  trail  from  Utah  to  California  in  1850,  the  later 
ones  in  Kansas,  at  Pike's  peak,  and  in  Arizona,  together  with 
the  well-known  placers  of  Sonora,  establish  conclusively  the 
fact  of  the  existence  of  gold  throughout  a  great  belt  of  the 
continent,  from  north  to  south.  I  am  indebted  to  the  Hon. 
George  Bancroft  for  a  copy  of  a  curious  and  rare  letter,  which 
it  is  not  out  of  place  to  mention  here.  It  is  dated  at  Madrid, 
in  1769,  and  is  addressed  to  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  minister  of 
foreign  affairs  for  France,  by  the  French  ambassador  at  the 
Court  of  Spain.  He  says  : 

[Extract.] 

MADRID,  6  fevrier,  1769. 

M.  Galves  qui  a  passe  dans  les  Californies,  a  aussi  mande 
qu'elles  abondent  en  mines  d'or  et  d'argent,  et  que  ces  pro- 
vinces que  1'Espagne  ne  connaissait  pour  ainsi  dire  que  de  nom, 
pourront,  dans  la  suite,  produire  une  augmentation  de  revenue, 
fort  considerable. 

(Signe,)  OSSUN. 

The  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  the  facts  I  have  thus 
hastily  set  forth  are  these  :  That  while  Arizona  cannot  be 
called  an  agricultural  State,  she  has  a  sufficiency  of  arable 
land  to  support  a  large  population  ;  that  as  a  grazing  and  pas- 
tural  region  she  has  unsurpassed  advantages  ;  but  her  great 
wealth  is  found  in  her  inexhaustible  mineral  resources.  There 

"*  Since  this  address,  I  have  received  discouraging  accounts  from  the  mines. 
S.  M. 


25 

can  be  no  doubt  that  if  Arizona  to  day  did.not  contain  a  single 
acre  of  arable  land,  her  gold  and  silver,  her  copper  and  iron 
and  lead,  would  some  day  make  her  one  of  the  wealthiest 
of  the  States  of  the  Union. 

Sonora,  of  which  western  Arizona  once  formed  a  part,  is  so 
closely  connected  in  interest  with  Arizona  that  a  brief  mention 
of  her  resources  and  condition  is  necessary  to  my  subject. 

Sonora  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Arizona,  on  the  east  by 
the  Sierra  Madre  range  of  mountains,  which  separate  it  from 
Chihuahua,  on  the  south  by  the  river  Fuerte,  which  separates 
it  from  Sinaloa,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Gulf  of  California  and 
the  Colorado  river,  which  separate  it  from  lower  California. 
Its  capital  is  now  Hermosillo,  was  formerly  Ures,  and,  more 
anciently,  Arispe.  The  government  of  the  State  is  at  present 
an  absolute  despotism,  under  a  so-called  constitutional  Gov- 
ernor named  Peschiera.  This  State,  which  contains  every 
element  of  wealth  and  prosperity,  is  in  the  most  miserable  con- 
dition. Its  people  look  confidently  to  the  United  States  for 
relief.  The  belief  in  their  annexation  is  entire ;  and  while  it 
is  unpalatable  to  some,  the  great  majority,  satisfied  that  they 
can  be  no  worse  off,  are  ready  to  turn  to  any  source  which 
offers  protection  from  the  Apaches,  and  the  exemption  from  a 
monthly  revolution,  and  its  consequence — pillage  and  mas- 
sacre. 

In  the  preliminary  advertisement  to  Noticias  Estadistacas 
del  Sonora,  by  Don  Jose  F.  Velasco,  a  work  from  which  I  have 
freely  quoted,  the  author  says : 

"  It  is  necessary  to  say,  without  equivocation,  that  if  there 
be  any  State  among  those  which  compose  the  Republic  of 
Mexico  of  which  it  is  difficult,  to  present  exact  statistics,  that 
State  is  undoubtedly  Sonora.  Populated  by  an  indigenous 
people,  disseminated  over  the  whole  State,  without  laws  or 
politics,  and  mingled  with  the  nation  of  which  it  forms  a  part, 
it  is  very  difficult  to  ascertain  its  numbers  from  its  chiefs.  It 
is  for  this  reason  that  I  have  been  only  able  to  give  approx- 
imatively  the  number  of  inhabitants.  I  have  only  undertaken 
4 


a  work  that  at  least  approximates  towards  the  truth,  limiting 
myself  to  certain  notices  which  may  give  light  to  other  writers 
on  the  same  subject."  * 

The  State  of  Sonora,  thus  called  by  its  earliest  people  of 
whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  derives  its  name,  according  to 
the  best  authorities,  from  Sonot,  an  Opata  Indian  word,  which 
means  Senora,  or  Madam.  The  Conquistadores  were  treated 
with  great  hospitality  by  the  Opata  Indians  while  visiting  their 
rancherias  or  villages.  As  a  mark  of  friendship,  the  Indians 
strove  to  imitate  the  Spanish  pronunciation  Senora,  instead  of 
using  their  own  word  Sonot,  from  which  arose  the  corrupted 
word  Sonora.  Sonora  has  been  divided,  by  various  writers, 
into  upper  and  lower  Sonora — into  Pimeria  Alta  and  Pimeria 
Baja — and  still  further,  into  the  subdivisions  of  Arizpe  Cien- 
eguilla  and  Horcasitas  in  the  north,  with  Hostimuri  Alamos 
and  the  Pueblas  of  the  Mayo  and  Yagui  in  the  south.  The- 
State  formerly  included  Sinaloa,  from  which  it  was  separated 
in  1830.  It  is  said  to  be  a  part  of  the  plan  of  the  present 
Governor,  Peschiera,  to  again  unite  these  States  as  the  basis 
of  a  new  confederacy. 

The  people  of  Sonora  are  generally  docile,  and,  making  al- 
lowance for  the  bad  system  of  government  and  the  great  mis- 
ery in  which  they  are  found,  are  obedient  to  the  constituted 
authorities — in  fact,  this  remarkable  docility  amounts  to  weak- 
ness of  character,  and  which  ambitious  revolutionary  chiefs- 
have  taken  advantage  of  to  forward  their  own  views.  At  the 
present  date,  the  whole  country  is  devastated  by  the  Apaches. 
Daily,  from  all  parts,  reports  are  brought  in  that  the  Indians 
have  destroyed  ranches,  killed  the  inhabitants,  and  depopulated 
whole  towns.  This  has  been  the  case  for  many  years,  andy 
after  so  much  suffering  an  this  account,  without  a  prospect  in 
view  for  the  better,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  Sonoranese  has 
lost  his  energy  of  character.  He  gambles,  to  divert  himself  and 
pass  away  time,  and,  without  hope  for  the  future,  he  allows 
things  take  to  their  course — a  perfect  fatalist.  Many  become 
desperate,  and  take  unlawful  measures  to  better  their  condition. 


It  only  requires  a  skillful  hand  and  good  government  to  make 
the  worthless  Sonoranese  of  the  present  day  a  useful  member 
of  society.  Comparatively  few  educated  men  are  found  in  So- 
nora — a  common  education,  consisting  of  reading  and  writing ; 
and  I  believe  that  in  the  whole  population  it  does  not  exceed 
five  per  cent,  more,  particularly  in  the  frontier  towns.  A  lea,d- 
ing  trait  in  his  character  is  hospitality,  and  "  let  the  morrow 
take  care  of  itself"  is  a  common  expression  in  their  mouths. 
He  will  share  his  last  mouthful,  and  considers  it  a  matter  of 
course  for  the  stranger  to  take  his  place  at  his  board. 

The  women  are  kind-hearted,  obedient  to  their  husbands, 
who  rule  them  generally  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Strong-minded 
women  are  not  known,  and  usually  peace  reigns  in  their  homes. 

Sonora,  for  the  most  part,  is  mountainous,  watered  by  several 
small  rivers,  abundant  in  mineral  wealth ;  in  fact,  is  considered 
to  be  one  of  the  richest  States  of  the  Mexican  Disunion.  There 
is  a  sufficiency  of  agricultural  land  to  maintain  a  large  popula- 
tion ;  but  the  true  richness  of  Sonora  consists  in  its  mines  of 
siver  and  gold,  and  the  great  facilities  for  raising  stock.  The 
mines  at  present  are  but  little  worked,  owing  to  the  Apaches 
and  revolutions,  but  laboring  under  all  these  disadvantages  she 
is  still  able  to  export  annually  several  millions  of  dollars  in 
silver  bars  and  gold  dust,  large  quantities  of  stock  to  Califor- 
nia and  the  Territory  of  Arizona;  also  flour  to  the  adjoining 
State  of  Sinaloa. 

The  most  famous  mines  and  mining  districts  (minerals)  are 
those  of  Alamos,  situated  in  the  district  of  that  name,  and 
property  of  the  Almadas,  Gomez  y  Urreas ;  mine  of  Jubiate, 
near  Hermosillo,  property  of  the  Verdes  ;  mineral  of  San 
Xavier,  San  Marcial,  St.  Teresa  de  Jesus,  property  of  Ynigo, 
Cubillas  &  Co.  The  famous  mine  of  mineral  of  Babacanora, 
at  present  worked  by  a  French  company  ;  mine  of  Babamachi, 
the  richest  mine  discovered  within  the  last  two  years,  having 
yielded  $1,000  to  the  nine  hundred  weight  of  ore,  and  very 
abundant  in  ore — at  present  the  yield  is  not  so  great ;  mine  of 


28 

Corral  Vieja,  gold,  silver  and  lead ;  La  Canensa,  silver,  copper 
and  lead ;  La  Guachuca  las  Planchas  de  Plata. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain  of  Babacanora,  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  league  and  a  half,  is  found  the  Rial  del 
Carmen,  celebrated  for  its  great  mine  of  that  name,  and  which 
has  been  worked  to  a  great  extent.  It  still  yields  a  good  profit 
to  the  Gambussino.*  Ores  are  still  found  which  yield  from  ten 
to  twenty  marcs  to  the  batta.  Ores — native  silver,  auriferous 
silver,  gangue,  quartz. 

This  mine  was  worked  in  the  first  years  of  the  Spanish  con- 
quest of  Mexico  by  Hernan  Cortes,  in  later  years  by  a  com- 
pany of  Spaniards,  who  found  a  chart  and  description  of  the 
mine  in  the  archives  of  Mexico.  It  is  remembered  by  the  old- 
est inhabitant  of  Sinoquipe  that  native  silver,  six  inches  wide, 
was  cut  out  of  the  vein,  and  melted  in  the  refining  furnace  with- 
out more  treatment  than  a  lead  bath.  This  company,  owing  to 
the  changes  which  took  place  in  the  Mexican  territory,  stopped 
work,  carrying  off  with  them  several  trains  of  mules  loaded 
with  silver ;  the  mine  then  partly  filled  with  water,  and  the 
Gambussinos,  who  have  been  and  are  the  cause  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  so  many  good  mines,  commenced  operations,  cutting 
out  the  upper  pillars  and  supports,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
mine  fell  in,  leaving  treasure  to  an  enormous  amount  buried  in 
the  ruins ;  in  later  days  shafts  have  been  sunk  on  the  same 
lode,  worked,  and  ores  rich  in  silver  have  been  encountered, 
paying  from  fifteen  to  twenty  marcs  the  nine  cwt.  In  the  rub- 
bish which  was  thrown  out  of  the  old  mine  a  comfortable  sub- 
sistence is  gained  by  washing  in  battas — quantities  of  grain 
silver  being  found  which,  refined  in  the  furnace,  yield  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent,  pure  metal.  This,  and  several 
other  mines  of  Sonora,  have  been  abandoned,  not  from  the 
ores  having  failed  or  depreciated  in  value,  but  from  the  want 
of  energy  in  the  Mexican  race.  The  mines  in  the  hands  of  the 


*  The  Gambussino  is  a  sort  of  mining  filibuster,  who  works  regardless  of 
the  future  of  the  mine. 


29 

Spaniards  yielded  enormous  profits  to  the  miner;  they  were 
men  of  indomitable  enterprise,  who  employed  capital,  science, 
and  spared  no  expense  to  succeed  in  their  adventures ;  whereas 
the  Mexican  is  poor,  without  energy,  and  too  lazy  to  trust,  or 
help  himself.  Formerly  Sonora  the  rich  was  a  proverb  ;  now 
Sonora  the  poor  is  a  stubborn  fact — but  not  from  the  want  of 
the  elements  of  richness.  These  once  developed,  she  will  once 
more  become  Sonora  the  rich,  and  may  be  great. 

"  In  the  Rial  of  Babacanora  a  miner  is  enchanted,  and  his 
hopes  raised  by  seeing  the  beautiful  formation  which  the  whole 
district  presents,  more  particularly  that  portion  which  compri- 
ses the  '  Sierra  del  Oregano,'  which,  viewed  from  the  houses, 
presents  a  magnificent  spectacle.  My  poor  pen  cannot  do  it 
justice,  so  I  shall  content  myself  in  stating  a  few  facts  con- 
cerning it  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge  :  "Veins  of  ore 
rich  in  silver  are  known  to  exist  from  the  fact  of  ore  being 
found  in  several  parts  of  the  mountain.  Many  capitals  have 
been  invested  and  lost  in  speculations  utterly  worthless  ;  where- 
as a  small  one,  invested  in  making  a  good  search  and  prospect 
of  this  mountain,  would  not  be  lost.  This  statement  I*  make 
after  many  years  mining  experience  ;  myself  and  many  other 
miners  who  know  the  mountain  will  stake  our  credit  on  many 
tons  of  precious  metal  being  hid  in  its  interior.  The  formation 
clay  state — the  richest  in  Sonora — the  fact  of  rich  ore  having 
been  found  on  its  sides  and  ravines,  and  the  number  of  rich 
mines  in  the  vicinity,  all  lead  me  to  suppose  such  to  be  the 
case.  The  mines  on  mines  of  El  Oregano  must  wait  until  some 
adventurous  miner  will  expend  a  thousand  or  two  to  enrich 
himself  with  millions. 

"  Mention  has  been  made  of  an  ancient  population.  On 
making  particular  inquiries  respecting  them,  I  find  that  they 
are  common  in  all  parts  of  the  Sonora  river,  and  even  on  the 
river  Gila.  The  river  Sonora,  from  its  length,  quantity  of 
wanter  and  abundance  of  cultivable  land,  is  peculiarly  adapted 

*  John  Denton  Hall,  Esq. 


30 

to  maintain  a  large  population.  Many  of  the  ruins  are  of 
great  extent,  covering  whole  table  lands,  proving  that  in 
former  times  Sonora  was  much  more  thickly  peopled  than  at 
present.  Undoubtedly  some  regularity  was  observed  in  laying 
out  these  towns.  In  one  I  found  what  appeared  to  have  been 
a  fort ;  by  its  position  it  was  well  calculated  for  defence. 
Unfortunately,  no  documents  exist  from  which  dates  could  be 
taken,  the  archives  and  all  belonging  to  the  Mission  having 
been  destroyed  at  the  time  the  Jesuits  were  expelled.  It  is  a 
known  fact  here,  and  I  believe  in  many  other  countries,  that 
the  order  of  Jesuits  have  done  more  towards  civilization  among 
the  Indians  than  any  other  religious  order  in  existence.  It  is 
undoubtedly  the  case  in  Sonora ;  the  ruins  they  have  left 
behind  them  prove  that  they  were  equal  to  the  task  they 
undertook  ;  and  among  the  old  people  their  kindness  and  wis- 
dom is  still  remembered  and  talked  of.  *  *  *  * 

"  The  tradition  is  current  here,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  Opata 
nation,  that  the  great  Montezuma  was  the  chief  of  their  tribe, 
and  a  great  warrior.  After  subjecting  the  other  tribes  to  his  rule, 
he  determined  on  building  himself  a  city  to  live  in  on  the  river 
Gila — in  Casas  Blancas.  He  commenced  operations  ;  not  lik- 
ing the  situation,  or  being  somewhat  disturbed  in  his  work  by  the 
Apaches — the  only  tribe  which  had  not  submitted  to  his  rule, 
joined  to  the  bad  omens  observed  by  his  priests — he  determined 
to  travel  in  search  of  a  good  location,  favored  by  his  gods. 
At  the  time  of  commencing  his  new  journey,  an  eagle  was 
observed  to  be  hovering  over  the  camp  ;  orders  were  given  to 
observe  the  bird's  flight,  and  its  resting-place  ascertained ;  his 
commands  were  obeyed  implicitly,  and  the  eagle  was  found 
in  the  Lake  of  Mexico,  perched  on  a  nopal,  with  a  rattlesnake 
in  its  beak.  Here  Montezuma  founded  the  City  of  Mexico, 
which  would  have  remained  in  his  possession  up  to  the  present 
date,  if  Hernan  Cortes  and  his  gallant  adventurers  had  not 
disturbed  his  calculations  in  a  most  important  manner.  Such 
is  the  tradition,  and  it  is  considered  heresy  among  the  Opatas, 


31  t 

not  to  believe  it.     Eagle,  snake  and  nopal  is  the  escutcheon  of 
Mexico.     Snake  alone  would  be  more  appropriate. 

"  Humboldt  mentions  in  his  travels  the  having  seen  the  ruins 
of  Casa  Blanca,  on  the  river  Gila.  Another  tradition  is  current 
also  of  Montezuma  having  told  the  conquerors  of  Mexico,  that 
it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  them  to  subject  to  their  rule  the 
whole  of  the  Indian  tribes,  but  the  Apaches  never.  We  shall 
see  what  Uncle  Sam  can  do  with  them  in  a  short  time."* 

The  yield  of  the  silver  mines  of  Mexico,  as  computed  by  Ward 
and  Humboldt  from  the  actual  official  returns  to  the  Govern- 
ment, from  the  conquest  to  1803,  amounts  to  the  enormous 
sum  of  $1,027,855,000,  or  more  thon  TWO  BILLIONS  of  dollars  ! 
Again,  Ward  says  :  "  I  am  aware  that  many  of  the  statements 
in  this  and  the  preceding  books  respecting  the  mineral  riches 
of  the  north  of  New  Spain,  (Sonora,  including  the  c  Gadsden 
Purchase,'  Chihuahua,  and  Durango,)  will  be  thought  exagger- 
ated. They  are  not  so.  They  will  be  confirmed  by  every  future 
report ;  and  in  after  years  the  public,  familiarized  with  facts 
which  are  only  questioned  because  they  are  new,  will  wonder 
at  its  present  incredulity,  and  regret  the  loss  of  advantages 
which  may  not  always  be  within  its  reach." 

Gold  dust  has  been  found  in  abundance  in  the  placers  of 
San  Francisco  la  Sienga,  las  Llanos,  Ouisabaquita,  St.  Perfecto; 
and  Soni  is  famous  for  its  gold  mines,  also  Cocuspera  and  Baba 
Seco ;  in  the  district  of  the  Pueblo  of  Cucurpe,  gold  is  found 
in  abundance ;  during  the  rainy  season  in  Baquachi  district  of 
Arispe,  it  is  also  found  in  quantities  which  pay  well.  In  a 
word,  Sonora,  considered  in  a  mineral  point  of  view,  equals,  if 
not  surpasses,  the  richest  country  in  the  known  world,  and  only 
requires  capital,  peace,  and  a  liberal  government.  The  new 
Territory  of  the  Arizona  which  formerly  belonged  to  this  State 
is  considered  by  the  Sonoranese  to  be  the  richest  portion  of 
their  country. 

The    climate  is  good.     The  rainy  season  sets  in  in  June, 

*  Notes  of  John  Denton  Hall,  Esq. 


.  .32 

and  lasts  till  the  beginning  of  September;  from  this  month 
until  March  occasional  showers  fall.  The  cold  is  never 
severe ;  the  weather  being  very  similar  to  that  in  Cali- 
fornia in  the  same  months.  From  March  until  the  rain  sets 
in  in  June  is  considered  the  dry  season.  The  heats 
are  never  oppressive,  less  so  than  in  California.  Two  crops 
are  raised  from  off  the  same  land  in  the  year,  and  which  for 
abundance  cannot  be  surpassed  in  any  country — wheat,  maize, 
beans,  peas,  &c.,  being  the  general  grain  that  is  cultivated. 
Sugar-cane  is  planted  in  great  quantities  in  Hermosillo,  San 
Miguel,  Ures,  Rayon,  Oposura,  Saguaripa,  Huepaca,  and  the 
Rio  Yaqui.  A  coarse  kind  of  sugar  is  made  called  panocha, 
which  yields  to  the  cultivator  an  excellent  return  for  his  labor, 
generally  selling  at  $25  the  cargo  of  three  hundred  weight. 
In  all  parts  of  the  State  most  excellent  tobacco  is  raised.  Cot- 
ton is  sown  by  the  Indians  in  the  Rio  Yaqui,  and  the  grub 
(cotton  worm)  is  hardly  known  in  the  crops.  The  average 
price  of  wheat  is  $8  cargo  of  three  hundred  weight,  beans  and 
peas  6. 

The  State  is  divided  into  nine  districts,  each  being  governed 
by  a  Prefecto,  who  is  appointed  by  the  Governor,  and  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  good  order  of  his  district.  The  port  of  Guay- 
mas,  at  present  is  the  only  port  of  entry.  It  is  a  small,  but  in 
the  business  part,  well  built  town,  containing  about  six  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  harbor  of  Guaymas  is  the  best  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  Four  miles  long,  with  an  inner  and  outer  bay,  it  will 
admit  ships  of  the  heaviest  tonnage,  and  the  commerce  of  the 
world  could  be  transacted  at  this  port.  The  entrance  is  pro- 
tected by  a  long  island,  which  makes  it  doubly  secure. 

The  principal  rivers  of  Sonora  are  the  Fuerte,  the  Yaqui, 
the  Mayo  and  the  Sonora.  The  Yaqui  enters  the  Gulf  of 
California  eighteen  miles  below  Guaymas.  It  has  a  dangerous 
bar,  but  it  is  believed  to  be  navigable  for  light  draft  steamers 
to  Buena  Vista,  eighty  miles  from  its  mouth.  The  Sonora 
river  flows  through  the  Arizpe  valley,  and  is  called  the  Garden 
of  Sonora.  It  is  almost  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  Apaches 


33 

The  desolation  of  the  depopulated  towns  and  ranches  is  melan- 
choly beyond  description.  The  valleys  of  the  Yaqui,  Mayo 
and  Fuerte,  are  the  best  sugar  lands  in  the  world. 

Ures  is  a  small  city  of  about  seven  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
is  situated  about  sixty  leagues  from  Guaymas.  Hermosillo  is 
the  largest  city,  containing  from  fourteen  to  fifteen  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  the  centre  of  commerce.  It  is  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles  north  of  Guaymas.  The  next  in  size  and  im- 
portance is  the  Rial  de  Alamos,  situated  on  the  frontier  of 
Sinaloa  ;  it  contains  from  five  to  six  thousand  inhabitants  ;  it  is 
the  centre  of  a  large  mining  district,  as  its  name  implies — Rial 
meaning  town  or  city  of  mines.  Oposura,  Saguaripa,  Rayon, 
St.  Miguel  and  Arispe,  the  ancient  capital  of  Sonora,  are  large 
towns,  with  populations  of  from  four  to  five  thousand  each. 
The  entire  population  of  Sonora  does  not  exceed  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  thousand,  comprising  Mexicans,  (hente  de  razon) 
Opatas,  Yaquis,  Mayos,  Taumales  and  Papagos ;  this  popu- 
lation, instead  of  increasing  is  decreasing  —  the  Apaches, 
revolutions  and  emigrations  to  California  and  Arizona  produc- 
ing this  effect ;  and  in  a  few  years,  if  some  change  does  not 
take  place,  Sonora  will  become  depopulated.  The  friend  to  whom 
I  am  indebted  for  many  of  these  notes,  says  : 

"After  so  many  years  residence  among  them,  I  naturally  feel 
an  interest  in  their  welfare,  firmly  believing  that  the  grain  of 
gold  in  their  character  among  so  much  dross  is  worthy  of  seek- 
ing out,  and  will  repay  the  finders.  The  United  States  could  do 
it,  and  would  to  God  it  should  be  so;  and  I  and  many  others 
will  be  found  ready  to  co-operate  in  any  just  and  honest  mode 
of  bringing  round  a  mutual  good  understanding."* 

"  But  one  conclusion  can  be  drawn  of  the  state  of  Sonora,  and 
that  is,  in  order  to  redeem  to  the  Sonoranese  his  character,  life 
and  fortune,  it  is  necessary  to  subject  or  utterly  annihilate  the 
savage  Apache  who  has  served  as  the  destroying  angel  to  this 
fine  country.  It  is  the  most  sure  and  ready  way  to  gain  the 

*  John  Denton  Hall,  Esq.,  to  whom  I  beg  to  make  my  grateful  acknowl- 
edgments for  many  of  the  facts  in  reference  to  Sonora. 


34 

eternal  gratitude  and  friendship  of  the  people,  and  annexation 
of  one  of  the  richest  countries  in  the  known  world,  which  will 
also  serve  as  another  connecting  link  of  the  great  chain  of 
commerce  with  the  Indies." 

Velasco  says,  in  concluding  his  review  of  Sonora  and  the 
Sonoranse : 

"  In  truth,  this  is  a  most  sorrowful  scene ;  it  horrors  one  to 
consider  the  state  of  prostration  which  we  are  now  in,  by  the 
continued  bad  feeling  of  party,  which  keeps  us  savage  in  civil 
war,  and  all  the  while  forgeting  our  own  interests. 

"  For  parties  to  harrass  each  other  mutually  ;  for  brother  to 
slaughter  brother  to  satisfy  revenge,  &c.,  in  a  moment,  are 
formed  enthusiastic  masses  ;  but  the  same  does  not  happen 
when  the  common  enemy  is  to  be  punished,  who  are  now  with 
gigantic  strides  destroying  the  country.  Until  the  Sonoranese 
shall  know  that  as  long  as  they  do  not  bury  in  the  fold  of  their 
country,  and  each  one  give  a  brotherly  embrace  in  good  faith, 
we  shall  continue  to  be  the  plaything  of  passions  the  most 
strong  and  savage." 

Having  had  considerable  practical  experience  on  the  plains, 
four  journeys  overland  across  the  continent  in  the  past' four 
years,  I  was  desirous  of  stating  a  few  facts,  showing  the  com- 
parative merits  of  the  different  routes  for  a  Pacific  railroad. 
The  limits  of  this  address  will  not  permit,  and  I  therefore 
turn  from  the  subject,  with  the  prediction  that  the  route 
known  as  the  southern,  along  the  32d  parallel,  is  the  only  one 
that  will  be  built  in  this  generation.  Every  exploration  has 
shown  it  to  be,  not  only  the  most  practicable,  but  probably  the 
only  practicable  route.  The  advocates  of  this  route  point  to  the 
significant  fact  that  the  mail  from  San  Antonio  to  San  Diego 
has  never  once  failed  in  eighteen  months  of  operation,  winter 
or  summer.  The  great  overland  mail  makes  its  best  time  on 
the  32d  parallel,  and  that  portion  of  the  route  denounced  as 
the  worst,  from  El  Paso  west,  has  proved  itself  the  best.  Thir- 
teen hundred  miles  by  stage  in  December  or  January  in  less 
than  eight  days.  Is  there  any  other  route  on  the  continent 


35 

where  this  can  be  accomplished  ?  Not  on  the  Salt  Lake  route. 
It  is  wholly  impracticable.  Not  on  the  Albuquerque -route,  else 
Lieutenant  Beale  would  not  go  into  winter  quarters.  On  the 
32d  parallel  no  winter  quarters  are  necessary.  It  is  useless  to 
attempt  to  evade  this  question  of  climate  on  so  extended  a  route. 
In  addition,  the  32d  parallel  is  by  far  the  most  level,  and 
has  the  most  water  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  (See  Lieutenant 
Parke's  report.)  The  first  terminus  of  the  Pacific  railroad  will 
be  Guaymas,  on  the  Gulf  of  California.  rFrom  El  Paso  to 
Guaymas  the  distance  is  only  about  four  hundred  miles,  at  most 
four  hundred  and  fifty.  It  will  run  across  the  Guzman  valley 
through  the  Guadalupe  or  some  more  southern  pass  to  Arizpe, 
thence  to  Ures,  thence  to  Harmosillo,  thence  to  Guaymas.  It 
can  be  built  most,  if  not  all  the  way,  for  $10,003  per  mile,  and 
put  in  running  condition.  It  would  pay  to-day  between  Her- 
mosillo  and  Guaymas  in  freight  alone.  It  will  traverse  a  rich 
agricultural  and  mining  country,  and  can  connect  with  San 
Francisco  and  all  the  Pacific  by  steamers.  A  branch  from 
Arizona  down  the  valley  of  the  San  Ignacio  would  give  Arizona 
the  .outlet  she  so  much  desires  for  her  productions.  It  connects 
with  the  Texas  road  at  El  Paso,  and,  notwithstanding  all  the 
predictions  to  the  contrary,  the  Texas  road  will  be  built. 
Should  it  be  deemed  desirable  to  extend  at  once  to  the  Pacific, 
a  steam  ferry  across  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  short  railroad 
across  Lower  California,  to  a  roadstead  on  the  Pacific,  accom- 
plishes the  desired  end.  If  these  views  were  elaborated,  they 
could  be  supported  by  an  array  of  evidence  not  to  be  over- 
thrown. 

In  a  report  made  to  the  Viceroy  of  Spain,  during  the  early 
settlement  of  the  province  of  Arizona  and  Sonora,  is  found  the 
following  words  :  "A  scientific  exploration  of  Sonora,  with  refer- 
ence to  mineralogy,  along  with  the  introduction  of  families, 
will  lead  to  a  discovery  of  gold  and  silver  so  marvelous,  that 
the  result  will  be  such  as  has  never  yet  been  seen  in  the  world." 
The  Spanish  race  have  but  just  touched  these  treasures.  It 
remains  for  the  American  people  to  make  good  the  prediction. 


3(3 

With  the  organization  of  Arizona  and  the  acquisition  of 
Sonora,  a  new  impetus  will  be  given  on  the  Pacific.  The 
Mexican  population  will  recede  before  the  energy  of  American 
career.  At  Guaymas  a  city  will  go  up,  which  shall  have  no 
parallel  in  the  magic  of  her  increase,  except  San  Francisco. 
The  auri  sacra  fames  is  as  strong  to-day  as  in  the  days  of 
old.  Allured  by  the  story  of  the  New  Eldorado  which  is  just 
opening,  tena  of  thousands  of  emigrants  will  hurry  thither. 
Our  empire  on  the  Pacific  is  just  founded.  Its  growth  in  the 
future  will  equal  that  of  the  past,  if  the  United  States  seizes 
the  golden  opportunity  now  offering.  The  wealthiest  and  most 
delightful  of  countries  will  be  redeemed  from  the  barbarism 
into  which  it  is  so  fast  falling.  An  immense  market  will  be 
opened  for  northern  productions ;  commerce  will  again  be  stimu- 
lated as  it  was  by  California  ;  and  the  prediction  of  Humboldt, 
that  the  balance  between  gold  and  silver  would  one  day  be  re- 
stored, will  be  made  good  from  the  treasures  of  Arizona  and 
Sonora. 


APPENDIX, 


The  following  summary  of  the  advantages  of  the  southern 
route  along  the  32d  parallel  (which  traverses  Arizona)  is  from 
the  late  conclusive  speech  of  the  Hon.  Jefferson  Davis  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  No  one  could  deal  more  fully 
and  intelligibly  with  the  great  subject  of  a  railroad  communi- 
cation across  the  continent  than*has  Senator  Davis  ;  and  I  have 
no  comment  to  make  upon  his  complete  vindication  of  the 
southern  route,  except  to  say  that  the  officers  of  the  army  who 
made  these  explorations  are  men  who  understand  their  duty, 
and  have  no  object  to  subserve  except  to  gain  an  honorable 
reputation  by  the  fidelity  and  thoroughness  of  their  reports. 
I  am  able,  from  personal  observation,  to  bear  testimony  to  the 
signal  ability  with  which  these  duties  have  been  discharged.  It 
is  understood  that  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Ives,  Topographical  Engi- 
neers, who  assisted  Captain  Whipple  in  his  survey  of  the  35th 
parallel  route,  called  the  Albuquerque,  and  who  has  since  been 
over  both  this  and  the  32d  parallel,  gives  the  most  decided 
preference  to  the  southern  route. 


Extract  from  the  Speech  of  the  Hon.  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Missis- 
sippi, on  the  Pacific  Railroad  Bill,  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  January,  1859. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  only  remaining  line 
the  route  of  the  thirty-second  parallel.  I  hope  I  am  not  expected  to 
make  it  quite  smooth,  or  find  water  at  convenient  distances,  culti- 
vable land,  and  timber  continuously  along  the  route.  I  know  of  no 
such  route  across  our  Territories.  I  wish  I  did.  If  there  were  a 
route  where  it  was  thus  made  easy  to  build  a  railroad,  we  might  feel 
a  more  happy  security  for  the  future.  It  would  bring  in  its  train  not 
only  the  construction  of  such  a  work,  but  that  continuous  population 
which  is  needful  to  bind  the  two  parts  of  the  country  together. 
Knowing  no  such  line,  I  believe  it  is  a  herculean  task  to  construct 
the  road,  attempt  it  where  you  will.  Go  on  what  parallel  of  latitude 
you  may,  all  you  can  do  is  to  take  the  least  of  most  serious 


38 

obstacles.     I  reached  the  conclusion  that  the   difficulties  were  least 
on  the  thirty-second  parallel  :  not  that  they  were  light.     This  con- 
clusion was  based  upon  the  information  possessed  at  that  time.     Sub 
sequent  explorations  have  materially  improved  the  location  upon  the 
route,  as  I  shall  proceed  to  show,  first  describing  the  section  from  the 
Rio  Grande  to  the  Pirnas  Villages. 
The  Office  Examination  says  : 

"  After  ascending  from  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Rio  Grande,  in  traversing 
the  region  examined  by  Lieutenant  Parke  between  these  two  rivers,  from 
Dona  Ana  to  the  Pimas  villages,  one  appears  to  be  traveling  on  a  great  plain, 
interrupted  irregularly  and  confusedly  by  bare,  rugged,  abrupt,  Isolated 
mountain  masses,  or  short  ranges,  seemingly,  though  not  in  reality,  without 
system*  Winding  around  these  isolated  or  lost  mountains,  or  using  a  few- 
passes  through  them,  a  railroad  may  be  constructed  with  easy  grades.  Ex- 
cept through  the  mountain  passes,  the  surface  is  so  smooth  as  to  require  but 
little  preparation  to  receive  the  superstructure  of  a  railroad  ;  and  even  in 
the  two  most  difficult  of  the  passes,  (where  in  one  case,  deep  cutting  or  a 
tunnel  at  the  summit,  near  the  surface,  in  rock,  with  heavy  side  cuttings  and 
high  embankments  for  i?hort  distances,  and  in  the  other  a  short  cut  of  sixty 
feet — prob  ibly  through  rock — are  proposed  by  Lieutenant  Parke,  to  attain 
grades  of  forty-six-feet  and  ninety  feet  per  mile,  or  less  by  increasing  dis- 
tance,) the  natural  slope  of  the  ground  may  be  used  for  a  railroad  for  tempo- 
rary purposes,  and  until  the  road  itself  can  reduce  the  cost  of  materials  and 
supplies  to  the  lowest  rates." 

The  resurvey  by  Lieutenant  Parke  shows  that  these  two  most  dif- 
ficult passes  may  be  avoided. 

In  i elation  to  the  supply  of  water  upon  this  part  of  the  route,  the 
report  of  the  Secretary  says  : 

"The  great  difficulty  experienced  in  crossing  this  district  is  in  the  long 
distances  over  which  no  water  is  found  at  certain  seasons.  The  survey  by 
Lieutenant  Parke  was  made  during  the  dryest  season  of  the  year,  and,  irre- 
spective of  the  springs  found  at  intermediate  points,  the  whole  distance 
between  the  two  rivers  Rio  Grande  and  Gila,  may  be  divided  into  five 
spaces,  varying  from  eighty  to  fifty-three  mjles  in  length,  at  the  termination 
of  which,  large  permanent  supplies  of  wate'r  are  found  at  the  most  unfavor- 
able season  of  the  year. 

These  spaces  and  points  are — 

From  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Rio  Mimbres 71  miles. 

From  the  Rio  Mimbres  to  the  stream  of  the  Valle  de  Sauz . .  72     " 

From  the  Valle  de  Sauz  to  the  San  Pedro 80     " 

From  the  San  Pedro  to  Tucson 53     " 

From  the  Tucson  to  the  Gila 79     " 

Intermediate  between  these  streams  are  permanent  springs  ;  and 
the  new  survey  has  improved  the  location  in  this  respect.  In  his 
last  report,  Lieutenant  Parke  states  : 

"The  supply  of  water  upon  the  pjateau  is  limited.  Along  and  near  the 
proposed  line  it  is  found  at  the  following  localities,  and  from  these  the  work- 
ing parties  can  be  supplied  :  at  Neide's  spring,  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  Basaltic  hills,  east  of  Cooke's  spring;  Rio  Mimbres;  Agua  Fria,  Ojo  de 
la  Vacca;  Ojo  de  Inez;  .Valle  del  Sauz;  in  the  Puerto  del  Dado;  Croton 


39 

springs  at  the  Playa  de  los  Pimas;  Castro  spring,  near  the  Railroad  Pass 
under  Mount  Graham;  Pheasant  creek;  Antelope  and  Dove  springs  at  the 
base  of  the  Calitro  mountains;  and  at  Bear  springs  at  the  head  of  the  Ara- 
vaypa.  The  distances,  in  direct  lines,  from  one  of  these  localities  to  another, 
are  as  follows  : 

From  the    Rio  Grande  to  Neide's  spring ,....40  miles. 

From  Neide's  spring  to  Cooke's  spring 12 

From  Cooke's  spring  to  Rio  Mimbres 21 

From  Rio  Mimbres  to  Agua  Fria 15 

From  Agua  Fria  to  Ojo  de  la  Vacca 6 

From  Ojo  de  la  Vacca  to  Ojo  de  Inez 12 

From  Ojo  de  Inez  to  Valle  del  Sauz 40 

From  Valle  del  Sauz  to  Puerto  del  Dado 23 

From  Puerto  del  Dado  to  Castro  spring 30 

From  Puerto  del  Dado  to  Croton  springs 30 

From  Castro  spring  to  Croton  springs 18 

From  Croton  springs  to  Pheasant  creek 12 

From  Pheasant  creek  to  Antelope  spring 3 

From  Anlelope  spring  to  Dove  spring 2j 

From  Dove  spring  to  Bear  spring 16 

"  On  the  San  Pedro  route  water  is  abundant  and  convenient,  at  Chameleon- 
spring  and  Prospect  creek,  and  in  the  entire  valley  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro. 
Besides  these  permanent  supplies,  water  is  found,  after  the  rains,  on  the 
playas  and  in  depressions  in  the  drains." 

It  Las  been  argued,  and  I  think  successfully,  that  if  the  road  were 
built,  it  might  be  worked  from  one  supply  of  water  to  another  :  but 
that  has  never  satisfied  my  mind  in  relation  to  the  difficulty  which 
presents  itself  in  building  the  road  Without  tanks  or  wells  I  do 
not  see  how  the  road  is  to  be  built,  how  working  parties  are  to  be 
sustained,  with  the  distances  which  are  found  upon  every  route  which 
has  been  surveyed. 

The  facilities  for  making  such  artificial  reservoirs  upon  this  part  of 
the  thirty-second  parallel  route  are  thus  favorably  described  by 
Lieutenant  Parke  : 

"  For  the  working  parties  in  the  construction  of  the  road,  during  the  dry 
season,  water  can  be  obtained  from  the  several  above  mentioned  permanent 
sources  of  supply,  but  this  will  involve,  of  necessity,  much  haulage,  the 
maximum  distance  being  twenty-three  miles.  But  I  am  clearly  of  the 
opinion  that  water  can  be  obtained  at  other  points  along  and  near  the  line  of 
construction  by  sinking  common  wells.  These  playa  formations  are  particu- 
larly favorable.  Being  basin-shaped,  they  receive  and  retain  the  drainage 
from  the  surrounding  country,  giving  us  natural  reservoirs,*  which  require 
only  to  be  tapped  to  give  a  constant  and  plentiful  supply." 

I  will  next  proceed  to  describe  the  section  west  of  the  Pimas  Vil- 
lages. The  Office  Examination  states  : 

"  We  have  now  reached  the  Gila,  seven  miles  above  the  Pimas  villages, 
the  elevation  above  the  sea  being  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
feet.  From  this  point  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  the  valley  of  the 

*  New  discoveries  of  springs  have  been  made  since  Parke's  report,  and  will  continue  to  be 
as  the  country  is  opened. 


40 

river  is  highly  favorable  to  the  construction  of  a  railroad.  There  will  be  no 
necessity  for  embankments  against  freshets,  but  trifling  occasional  cutting 
and  filling;  and,  in  those  instances  where  the  hills  close  in  upon  the  river, 
there  is  ample  space  for  the  road  without  heavy  cutting.  The  elevation  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  being  one  hundred  and  eight  feet,  and  the  distance 
between  the  two  points  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  miles,  we  have  a  gen- 
eral slope  of  five  and  six-tenths  feet  per  mile,  which,  from  the  favorable 
character  of  the  ground,  may  De  assumed  as  the  grade  of  the  road. 

"  Water  and  iuel  for  working  parties  are  sufficient,  though  no  grass.  Logs 
may  be  driven  down  the  Gila  from  the  Mogoyan  mountains,  at  its  source, 
from  the  Final  Lleno,  and  down  the  San  Francisco  and  Salinas  rivers,  from 
the  pine  forests  on  the  former,  and  the  mountains  at  the  source  of  the  latter. 

"  But  it  may  be  found  more  economical  to  receive  all  the  supplies  of  lum- 
ber needed  for  the  western  portion  of  the  road,  either  from  the  San  Ber- 
nardino mountains  and  Pass,  or  from  the  harbors  of  San  Pedro  or  Diego,  or, 
should  it  be  found  desirable  to  establish  one,  from  the  depot  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Gila." 

Senators  will  perceive  that  I  am  here  explaining  the  basis  on 
which  I  formed  the  opinion  which  governs  my  vote  in  this  case.  I 
have  no  controversy  with  anybody.  I  du  not  expect  to  satisfy  gen- 
tlemen that  their  routes  are  not  as  good  as  they  wish  them  ;  but  I 
am  dealing  with  the  facts  as  they  are  contained  in  the  reports,  to 
justify  me  in  the  opinion  which  I  have  officially  expressed,  and  on 
which  I  am  now  acting  in  my  proposition  to  grant  a  given  s  im  to 
make  a  railroad.  I  have  not  encountered  all  this  labor  in  a  mere 
spirit  of  controversy. 

"The  most  favorable  point  f<  r  crossing  the  Colorado  is  at  the  junction  of 
the  Gila,  where  the  river  is  narrowest,  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and 
has  bluffs  OB  both  banks." 

"  The  direction  that  the  road  should  take  across  the  desert  intervening 
between  it  and  the  foot  of  the  Coast  range  depends,  in  part,  upon  the  posi- 
tion of  the  pass  by  which  it  crosses  this  mountain  chain.  Tnere  are  two 
passes  known  and  explored.  Warner's,  the  more  southerly  of  the  two,  will 
require  five  miles  of  excavation  in  granite  and  mica  slate  for  the  full  width 
of  the  road,  the  grades  varying  from  one  hundred  and  thirty  to  one  hundred 
and  ninety  feet  per  mile." 

"  The  distances  from  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  over  the  desert,  to  the  en- 
trance of  this  pass,  is  eighty  miles;  thence  to  San  Diego  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  The  San  Gorgonio  or  San  Bernardino  Pass,  on  the  contrary,  is 
remarkably  favorable.  It  is  an  open  valley,  from  two  to  five  miles  wide, 
the  surface,  smooth  and  unbroken,  affording  in  its  form  and  inclination  every 
facility  and  no  obstruction*to  the  building  of  a  railroad." 

This  plain,  eighty  miles  in  width,  has  been  treated  as  a  desert 
Jornada,  although  there  are  springs  and  wells  upon  it,  and  the  water 
of  the  Colorado  sometimes  overflowing  or  rising  in  the  middle  of  the 
plain,  forms  what  is  called  New  river.  The  plain  is  certainly  defi- 
cient in  water ;  but  it  is  evidently  a  delta  formation,  and  not  a  desert 
in  the  sense  of  being  unproductive  because  of  its  constituent  ele- 
ments. It  is  all  of  alluvial  formation,  clearly  once  belonging  to  the 
Colorado,  and  habitually  overflowed  by  it ;  but  the  deposit  on  the 
banks  of  that  stream,  having  enough  moisture  and  tenacity  to  catch 
the  sand  driven  upon  it  by  prevailing  winds,  at  last  became  a  natural 


41 

levee  or  barrier  sufficient  to  restrain  the  floods;  and  long  drought 
rendered  the  alluvial  plain  west  of  the  river  entirely  sterile.  Thus, 
1  am  informed,  it  is  now  along  the  llio  Grande.  When  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  field  is  abandoned,  left  for  but  a  few  years  without  irriga- 
tion, sterility  ensues,  but  it  can  be  restored  to  fertility  by  again  sup- 
plying it  with  moisture. 

The  supply  of  timber  upon  this  whole  route  is  deficient.  The 
points  where  it  may  be  obtained  are  thus  stated  in  the  Office  Exam- 
ination : 

"  Let  us  assume  the  most  unfavorable  case  for  supplies  of  ties  and  lumber 
over  that  portion  of  the  route  between  the  eastern  limit  of  the  Llano  Esta- 
cado  and  the  summit  of  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass,  1,052  miles — that  is,  that 
they  must  be  brought  from  either  end  of  the  road,  say  three  hundred  miles 
from  the  eastern  limit  of  the  Llano  Estaoado,  and  from  the  port  of  San  Pe- 
dro on  the  Pacific,  one  hundred  miles  from  the  summit  of  the  San  Gorgonio 
Pass,  making  the  points  of  supply  1,400  miles  apart:  the  greatest  distance  to 
which  they  must  be  transported  from  each  end  is,  therefore,  700  miles  by  the 
road,  the  point  of  junction  of  supplies  from  the  east  and  west  being  about 
110  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Giande.  Lumber  can,  undoubtedly,  be  procured 
in  the  Red  river  district  for  $30  per  1,000  feet.  The  additional  cost  lor  trans- 
portation to  the  Llano,  3UO  miles  by  the  railroad,  at  three  cents  per  ton  per 
mile,  (double  the  usual  cost  on  eastern  railroads)  is  $13^,  and  its  cost  there 
$43>£  per  1,000  feet;  the  cost  per  1,000  feet  for  450  miles  additional  trans- 
portation is  $20,  and  hence  the  cost  per  1,000  feet  at  this  extreme  point  will 
be  $63j^.  The  mean  cost  over  these  400  or  450  miles  from  the  eastern  limit 
of  the  Llano  Estacado  will  be  $52 j^  per  1,000  feet.  From  Fulton  to  the 
Llano  it  is  unnecessary  to  estimate  its  cost. 

"  Lumber  may  be  delivered  at  San  Pedro  or  San  Diego  from  Oregon  for 
$30  per  1,000  feet.  Abundance  of  it  can  be  got  out  from  the  San  Bernardino 
and  other  mountains  near  the  line  of  the  road  at  that  cost,  and  it  may  be  as- 
sumed, therefore,  to  be  supplied  at  San  Pedro  or  San  Diego  at  that  price, 
and  at  a  mean  cost  over  the  road  (the  road  supplying  itself,  as  it  must  do, 
sections  of  40  or  50  miles  being  built  at  a  time)  of  $46  per  1,000  feet. 

"  The  worst  case  having  been  discussed,  it  remains  to  be  said,  that  good 
ties  and  lumber  can  be  obtained  from  the  Guadalupe  and  Hueco  mountains, 
from  the  head-waters  of  the  Rio  Mimbres,  from  the  Final  Lleno,  Salinas 
river,  and  head-waters  of  the  San  Francisco,  and  from  the  San  Bernardino 
mountains,  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  or  Coast  range,  which  sources  of  supply 
may  be  found  to  materially  obviate  the  necessity  of  transporting  lumoer  from 
the  two  ends  of  the  road." 

In  fine,  it  may  be  said  that  the  route  of  the  32d  parallel  from  the 
Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean  is  the  shortest  of  those  ex- 
plored, its  length  being  from  one  to  four  hundred  miles  less  than  the 
shortest  of  the  other  routes  ;  it  is  likewise  the  shortest  route  to  San 
Francisco,  being  one  hundred  miles  shorter  than  any  other.  The 
vast  uncultivable  belt  through  which  all  the  routes  must  pass  is 
crossed  by  the  route  of  the  32d  parallel  where  the  width  is  least,  its 
length  through  this  region  being  two  hundred  miles  shorter  than 
upon  any  other  line. 

The  mountain  region  on  this  route  has  the  least  elevation,  and  the 
table  lands  preponderate  to  a  greater  degree  than  on  the  other 
routes. 


42 

It  is  the  most  economical  route  ;  the  estimated  cost  to  the  Pacific 
being  from  eighteen  to  twenty  million  dollars  less  than  that  of  any 
other,  and  to  San  Francisco  $10,000,000  less  ;  the  cheapness  of  con- 
struction being  due  to  the  great  extent  of  plains  and  table  lands,, 
•where  the  road-bed  preparation  required  is  slight. 

The  mountain  passes  are  open,  and  their  natural  slopes  admit  of 
temporary  use  without  costly  preparation.  The  winters  are  so  mild 
that  no  difficulties,  impediments,  or  dangers  from  snow  and  ice  are  to 
be  apprehended,  and  this  admits  of  the  use  of  steep  grades,  and 
greatly  facilitates  construction. 

On  all  the  routes  unusual  means  must  be  resorted  to  for  supplies 
of  water  at  the  distances  common  on  railroads.  The  intervals  be- 
tween the  large  permanent  supplies  on  the  route  of  the  3'2d  parallel 
are  not  too  great  for  the  working  of  a  railroad,  but  additional  sup- 
plies, at  shorter  distances,  may  be  collected  by  tanks  or  wells. 

In  the  uncultivable  belt  that  separates  the  Mississippi  valley  from 
the  Pacific  slope,  occasional  areas  of  arable  soil  are  to  be  found.  The 
route  of  the  8'2d  parallel  is  neither  less  favorably  situated  in  this 
respect,  nor  in  mineral  wealth,  than  those  in  other  latitudes,  nor  is 
the  supply  of  building  materials  and  timber  materially  less  on  this 
route  than  on  the  others,  excepting  an  interior  portion  of  the  route 
near  the  forty- ninth  parallel. 

In  confirmation  of  the  opinion  expressed  in  the  Secretary's  report 
upon  the  comparative  advantages  of  the  thirty-fifth  and  thirty-second 
parallel  routes,  1  wish  to  refer  to  the  testimony  of  a  civil  engineer 
who  has  traveled  over  both,  and  looked  at  them  with  a  view  to  the 
construction  of  a  railroad; — Mr.  Albert  H.  Campbell.  He  was  first 
connected  with  Capt.  Whipple's  party  for  exploring  the  route  near 
the  thirty-fifth  parallel ;  subsequently  with  that  of  Lieut.  Parke 
when  re-examining  the  route  near  the  thirty-second  parallel.  I  in- 
tend to  read  from  a  letter  which  I  find  addressed  by  him  to  the  Hon. 
GUY  M.  BRYAN,  of  Texas,  in  relation  to  the  Pacific  railroad,  pub- 
lished in  1858.  On  the  first  page  he  sets  forth  his  total  indifference 
as  to  which  of  the  two  routes  may  be  selected,  and  the  absence  of 
any  pecuniary  motive  to  influence  him  in  one  way  or  the  other.  He 
says  : 

"  I  have  no  pecuniary  or  landed  interest  in  the  El  Paso  route,  and  conse- 
quently have  no  motive  for  my  preference,  except  an  honest  conviction,  de- 
rived from  personal  observation,  that  it  is  emphatically  the  most  practicable, 
cheapest,  and  shortest  route  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Pacific 
ocean;  and  the  country  through  which  it  passes,  as  a  whole,  will  compare 
favorably  with  any  other  route  in  agricultural  and  pastoral  resources,  and  in 
mineral  wealth,  and  that  it  is  the  only  route  that  can  be  successfully  worked 
during  the  entire  year."  *  *  *  * 

"  It  is  practicable  to  construct  a  railroad  along  the  Albuquerque  route,  as 
reported  by  CaptainWhipple;  but  I  maintain,  andam  willing  to  leave  it  to  the 
decision  of  the  ablest  impartial  railroad  engineer  in  the  country,  that  it  can- 
not be  done  without  an  immense  outlay  of  treasure  in  preparing  a  road-bed, 
and  exceeding,  by  at  least  twenty-five  per  cent.,  the  cost  of  constructing  a 
road  of  equal  length  over  the  thirty-second  parallel." 


43 

Of  the  climate,  he  says  : 

"  In  regard  to  the  climate  of  winter,  on  the  Albuquerque  route,  I  am  satis* 
tied  that  it  will  be  found  too  cold  to  work  a  railroad  successfully  for  at  least 
three,  if  not  lour  months  of  the  year.  The  recorded  experience  of  six  win- 
ters at  Fort  Defiance,  only  twenty  miles  in  latitude  north  of  Campbell's  Pass, 
and  about  the  same  elevation — as  I  observed  when  I  went  to  that  post  in 
November,  1853,  through  Campbell's  Pass,  though  the  Army  Meteorological 
Register,  page  641,  puts  its  down  (or  rather  up)  to  '7,200  (?)  feet  '  albove 
the  level  of  the  sea — must  be  taken  as  conclusive  of  the  fact  of  it  being  at 
times  extremely  cold. 

"At  Albuquerque,  according  to  the  meteorological  report  of  the  medical 
department  of  the  United  States  Army,  the  maximum  and  minimum  temper- 
atures respectively  were,  for  the  winter  months  of  1849  and  1850 — in  Decem- 
ber, 53  'leg.,  5  deg.;  January,  49  deg.,  12  deg.  below  zero;  February  57  deg., 
17  cleg-.  For  1850  and  1851 — in  December,  52  deg.,  5  deg.  belov/  zero; 
January,  ,57  deg..,  8  deg.;  February,  59  deg.,  7  deg.  For  1852  and  1853 — in 
December,  65  deg.,  21  deg;  January,  65  <leg.,  19  deg.;  February,  6G  deg., 
13  deg.  For  1853  and  1354— in  December,  66  deg.,  20  deg.;  January,  63 
deg.,  5  deg.;  February,  67  deg.  15  deg.;  and  in  December,  1854,  58  degrees, 
19  degrees. 

"At  Fort  Defiance,  about  twenty  miles  north  of  Campbell's  Pass  in  lati- 
tude, and  from  three  to  five  hundred  feet  higher,  the  maximum  am"  minimum 
temperatures  respectively -were,  for  the  month  of  December,  1851,  62  deg., 
4  deg;  eighteen  inches  snow.  For  1852  and  1853 — in  December,  50  deg., 
2  deg.;  January,  55  dei;.-,  7  deg.;  February,  56  deg  ,  6  deg.  For  1853  and 
1854 — in  December,  57  ueg,,  6  deg.;  January,  49  deg.,  20  deg.  below  zero; 
February,  54  deg.,  2  deg.  For  1854  and  1855— December,  65  deg.,  10  deg. ; 
January,  59  deg.,  17  deg.  below  zero;  February  61  deg.,  13  deg.  For  Id55 
and  1856 — December,  56  cleg.,  25  deg.  below  zero;  January,  54  deg.,  8  deg. 
below  zero;  February,  51  deg.,  3  deg.  below  zero. 

A  great  error  has  been  committed  in  supposing  that  because  the 
thirty -fifth-parallel  route  is  iti  a  southern  latitude,  it  must  be  in  a 
warm  country.  Temperature  depends  as  much  upon  elevation  as  upon 
latitude  ;  and  fertility  results  not  from  the  constituent  elements  of 
the  soil  alone,  but  from  the  meteorological  conditions  of  the  atmos- 
phere also.  Here  is  an  elevation  of  seven  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  a  country  of  extreme  aridity.  The  air  from  the  ocean  depos- 
its the  moisture  it  possessed  in  passing  over  the  mountain  ranges, 
before  it  reaches  this  plain.  Over  it  broods  a  forbidding  sterility,  and 
across  it  the  winter  winds  sweep  with  a  degree  of  -cold  scarcely  less 
intense  than  that  found  in  any  portion  of  our  country.  At  the  close 
of  this  table,  the  writer  says  : 

"  The  table  above  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  climate  of  the  country.  The 
winter  of  1855  and  1856  was  more  severe  than  any  one  known  for  many  years. 
The  wintry  weather  commenced  on  the  1st  of  November,  1855,  and  has  con- 
tinued up  to  the  present  time,  (March  14, 1856.)  The  Rio  Grande,  at  Albu- 
querque, was  frozen  over,  and  with  ice.  sufficiently  strong  to  bear  a  horse 
and  carreta.  Those  Indians  who  live  habitually  to  the  north  of  Fort  Defi- 
ance, were  obliged  to  abandon  that  portion  of  the  country  and  move  south, 
with  their  flocks  and  herds,  in  quest  of  grazing,  on  account  of  the  depth  of 
snow,  which,  in  the  mountains,  at  whose  base  the  fort  is  situated,  was  over 
two  feet  ii.  depth  in  March,  1856."  (Correspondence  J.  Leatherman,  assist- 
ant surgeon  United  States  Army;  Smithsonian  Report,  1855,  page  2a7.) 

Speaking  of  the  immense  exposure  encountered  on  this  elevated 
plain  in  winter,  Mr.  Campbell  says  : 


44 

'<  The  imagination  can  readily  picture  the  terrible  calamity  which  woulcJ 
inevitably  befall  a  train-load  of  passengers  en  route  for  the  Pacific,  if  an  acci- 
dent of  a  similar  kind  should  stop  their  progress  midway  upon  one  of  those 
desolate  artemisia  districts  between  the  Ojo  de  Gallo  and  the  Little  Colorado,, 
and  between  the  valley  of  the  Big  Sandy  Fork  and  the  sink  of  the  Mohave, 
where  no  human  habitation  can  ever  exist  between  the  permanent  water 
stations." 

He  treats  of  the  supply  of  water  in  the  same  manner  a&  the  authors 
of  the  official  reports.  He  notices  the  fact  that  Capt  Marcy,  having 
traveled  over  the  thirty-fifth,  and  then  over  the  thirty-second-parallel 
route,  testified  in  favor  of  the  latter  as  an  emigrant  route.  Citing 
the  opinion  of  Major  Emory  as  to  the  route  on  the  thirty-second 
parallel,  he  says  : 

"  In  an  allusion  to  the  subject  of  the  railroad,  (on  page  51,  first  volume  of 
Mexican  Boundary  Report,)  he  [Major  Emory]  emphatically  declares,  of  the 
advantages  gained  by  the  last,  or  Gadsden  treaty,  that  it  '  has  secured  what 
the  surveys  made  under  the  orders  of  the  War  Department  demonstrate  to  be 
the  most  feasible,  if  not  the  only  practicable  route,  for  a  railway  to  the 
Pacific.  '  " 

The  comparison  instituted  in  the  office,  when  the  field-work  of  the 
various  explorations  was  reported,  was  to  fulfil  the  requirements  of 
Congress,  to  find  the  most  practicable  and  economical  route  for  a 
railroad  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  I  am  not 
engaged  now  in  the  investigation  of  that  exact  question,  the  problem 
being  merely  that  of  crossing  the  Territories  ;  but  as  the  practicabil- 
ity of  effecting  a  connection  between  the  Mississippi  and  Pacific  may 
control  in  any  action  of  Congress,  a  table  has  been  prepared  which 
presents  in  a  condensed  form  the  distances  and  the  comparative  cost 
of  each  route  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Whe- 
ther this  estimated  cost  be  too  high  or  too  low,  it  is  not  for  that  pur- 
pose needful  to  inquire.  The  object  was  to  approach  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  accuracy  of  comparison,  not  to  give  an  absolute  statement 
of  the  cost.  This  is  all  that  has  ever  been  claimed  for  the  office  esti- 
mates of  cost ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  the  estimates  of  chiefs  of 
parties  have  been  modified,  so  as  to  bring  them  to  the  same  compar- 
ative scale.  I  submit  the  table  to  the  Senate : 


45 


Table  showing  the  lengths,  comparative  costs,  #c'.,  of  the  several 
routes  explored  for  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Pacific. 


railroad  | 

escents. 

I 

•1 

CO 

•z 

2 

l|| 

a  of  the  1 
route.  1 

ROUTES, 

1- 

'C 

| 

7  «' 

i-? 

^   3 

11 

J2 

t  ^ 

•-T1 

£  >>'J 

•s  o 

^  -^ 

s,  o 

B 

o  2 

C  !Z 

Q:5    ,/ 

£ 

3 

> 
•c 

1 

^  ci 
I5 

li'l? 

J  E 

1 

0 

'c 

»  Hi 

II 

3 

i 

o 

0 

0 

o  -  S  g 

Miles. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Route  near  forty-seventh  and  forty-ninth 

parallels,  from  St.  Paul  to  Seattle  

1,955 

18,654 

$135,871,000 

535 

1,490 

6,044 

Route  near  forty-seventh  and  forty-ninth 

parallels,  from  St.  Paul  to  Vancouver-  • 

1,800 

17.645 

125.781.000 

374 

1,490 

6.044 

Route  near  forty-first  and  forty-second 

parallels,  from  Rock  Island,  via  South 

y  OQQ 

29.120* 

122.770,000 

899 

1,400 

8,373 

Route  near  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth 
parallels,from  St.  Louis,via  Coo-che-to- 

pa  and  Tah-ee-chay-pah  passes,  to  San 

2G25 

49,9S5t 

Impracticable 

%5 

1,460 

10,032 

Route  near  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth 

»f9&f 

parallels,  from  St.  Louis,  via  Coo-che- 

to-pa  and  Madelin  Passes,  to  Benicia  •  • 

2,535 

56,514$ 

Impracticable. 

915 

1,620 

10.032 

Route  near  thirty-fifth  parallel,  from  Mem- 

phis to  San  Francisco  

2,366 

48.521t 

113,000.000 

916 

1,450 

7.550 

Route  near  thirty-second  parallel,  from 

2  090 

48  862t 

99  000  000 

690 

1  400 

7,550 

Route   near  thirty-second  parallel,  from 

Gaines1  Landing  to  San  Francisco  by 

2  174 

38  200  § 

94.000.000 

984 

1,190 

5  717 

Route   near  thirty-second  parallel,  from 

4,  i/t 

Gaines'  Landing  to  San  Pedro  < 
Route   near  thirty-second  parallel,  from 
Gaines'  Landing  to  San  Diego  

1,748 
1,683 

30,151* 
33,454* 

72.000,000 
72,000,000 

538 
534 

1.190 
1,159 

5.717 

5.717 

*  The  ascents  and  descents  between  Rock  Island  and  Council  Bluffs  are  not  known,  and 
therefore  not  included  in  this  sum. 

t  The  ascents  and  descents  between  St.  Louis  and  Westport  are  not  known,  and  therefore 
not  included  in  this  sum.  , 

t  The  ascents  and  descents  between  Memphis  and  Fort  Smith  are  not  known,  and  therefore 
not  included  in  this  sum. 

§  The  ascents  and  descents  between  Gaines' Landing  and  Fulton  are  not  known,  and  there- 
fore not  included  in  this  sum. 

In  volume  seven  of  the  railroad  reports,  a  tabl  e  will  be  found  with 
which  this  very  generally  corresponds,  the  difference  being  that  some 
of  the  surveys  having  commenced  at  anterior  points — one  for  instance 
at  Council  Bluffs,  and  another  at  Fort  Smith — the  estimates  of  the 
reports  are  made  from  those  points.  Here  they  have  been  extended 
to  the  Mississippi  river.  The  table  in  volume  seven  is  also  here  mod- 
ified by  the  supposition  that  the  reported  practicability  of  the  Cceur 
d'Alene  Pass  is  correct ;  and  thus  the  total  sum  estimated  for  the 
route  near  to  the  forty-ninth  parallel  has  been  reduced.  No  addi- 
tions have  been  made  for  those  difficulties  which,  in  addressing  the 


46 ? 

Senate,  I  have  stated  had  come  to  my  knowledge  since  the  prepara- 
tion of  my  report,  because  information  not  derived  from  instrumental 
survey  is  not  accepted  as  the  basis  of  estimate. 

I  have  only  to  add,  that  looking  to  the  grant  of  land  and  of  money 
with  which  Texas  has  endowed  her  railroad  company,  and  to  the 
interest  which  would  be  brought  to  bear  for  the  extension  of  the  Texas 
road  to  the  llio  Grande,  by  a  company  formed  to  build  a  road  from 
the  Kio  Grande  to  the  Colorado,  I  believe  the  sum  of  money  and  the 
grant  of  land  contained  in  my  substitute,  although  the  smallest  pro- 
posed by  any  one,  will  secure  the  construction  of  the  road  across  that 
intermediate  territory,  will  insure  the  extension  of  the  road  of  Texas 
to  the  Rio  Grande ;  and  that  having  reached  the  Colorado,  Califor- 
nia will  charter  a  company  to  extend  it  to  San  Diego,  to  San  Pedro, 
or  to  Sari  Francisco.  Most  probably  a  company,  if  incorporated  to 
build  a  railroad  from  Fort  Yuma  to  San  Francisco,  would  first  con- 
nect with  the  Ocean  at  San  Pedro,  and  thus  command  a  more  prompt 
return  for  their  investment  in  the  road  than  if  they  awaited  its  final 
completion  to  San  Francisco* 

I  have  endeavored,  during  'the  progress  of  this  debate,  to  ascer- 
tain how  much  of  the  land  in  the  valley  of  the  Santa  Clara  and  the 
Salinas  might  inure  to  the  benefit  of  a  company  undertaking  to  built 
a  road.  It  is  all  known  to  be  of  the  highest  fertility,  and  blessed 
with  a  climate  not  inferior  to  any  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States.  If  it  is  possible  for  the  company  to  obtain  near  to  that  line 
even  one-half  of  the  amount  of  land  proposed  to  be  granted,  I  rely 
upon  the  accuracy  of  Lieutenant  Parke's  estimates  to  establish  the 
fact  that  the  road  might  be  built  there  for  the  land  grant  alone. 
Whenever  California  shall  charter  a  company  to  build  this  road  with- 
in her  own  limits,  and  that  company  shall  ask  Congress  for  a  grant 
to  construct  it,  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  interest  of  the  United  States 
will  warrant  Congress  in  making  such  a  grant.  Thus  is  reached  the 
conclusion  that  the  Texas  road  will  be  drawn  on  to  make  a  junction 
with  the  road  built  in  the  Territory,  and  that  the  latter,  when  built 
to  the  Colorado,  will  certainly  be  extended  to  the  Pacific.  The  east- 
ern terminus  of  the  Texas  road  will  be  available  to  all  the  roads  which 
ramify  throughout  the  United  States,  and  be  connected,  in  a  very 
short  time,  with  every  important  point  from  St.  Paul  to  Galveston. 

If  the  facts  which  have  been  thus  imperfectly  grouped  and  pre- 
sented to  the  Senate,  sustain  the  conclusion  that  this  result  is  to  be 
attained  by  so  small  a  sum  of  money,  it  may  reasonably  be  claimed 
that  all  who  desire  the  construction  of  a  a  road  across  the  Territory 
with  complete  connections  throughout  the  States  are  bound  to  sus- 
tain the  proposition  which  I  have  submitted. 

My  position  is,  that  the  completion  of  this  great  work  is  necessary 
to  the  due  execution  of  the  functions  of  the  general  government,  that 
it  will  not  be  achieved  by  private  capital  alone,  therefore  that  we 
should  strike  off  every  shackle  which  impedes  its  execution  ;  should 
abandon  the  right  to  collect  duty  on  the  iron  employed  ;  give  the 


'47         . 

whole  limit  of  the  United  States  from  which  to  select  a  route ;  extend 
every  aid  we  can  constitutionally  afford,  and  to  insure  the  construc- 
tion of  the  road  somewhere,  be  it  where  it  may,  so  that  it  is  on  the 
soil  of  the  United  States.  If  by  haggling  over  petty  sectional  con- 
troversies, if  by  sticking  in  the  ark  dand  destroying  the  energy  of  the 
constitution,  politicians  shall  defeat  the  efforts  which  have  been  made 
from  session  to  session,  shall  prostrate  the  last  hope  for  this  road 
across  the  continent,  and  thus  unprepared  should  we  become  involved 
in  a  war  with  the  great  maritime  powers  of  Europe,  they  may,  when 
it  is  too  late  to  avert  the  disasters  which  have  been  so  often  foretold, 
have  cause  to  pray  for  the  mountains  to  fall  upon  and  cover  them 
from  public  indignation ;  to  them  may  attach  the  blame,  on  us  all 
may  press  the  shame  and  the  sorrow  of  having  lost  to  the  country  a 
territory  worth  innumerable  treasure,  of  having  forfeited  that,  the 
value  of  which  cannot  be  pleasured  by  money — the  prestige  of  sta- 
bility, progress  and  invincibility,  and  the  right  to  inscribe  on  our 
national  shield,  EQUAL  TO  THE  PROTECTION  OF  A  CONTINENENT- 
WIDE  REPUBLIC.  * 


48 


The  following  letter  is  from  the  head  of  the  well-known 
mercantile  house  of  Juan  A.  Robinson,  of  Guaymas,  Sonora, 
San  Francisco,  and  other  points.  It  was  written  during  my 
visit  to  Giriymas  last  year.  It  is  proper  to  say  that  the  ac- 
tual export  is  nearer  five  millions  than^  three — a  large  amount 
of  bullion  .bejng  exported  yearly  without  going  through  the 
custom-house.  The  trade  of  Mazatlan  is  nearer  twelve  mil- 
lions than  nine. 

GUAYMAS,  October  12,  1858, 

DEAR  SIR:  In  reply  to  your  inquiries  regarding  the  trade  of  this  port, 
I  would  observe,  the  merchandize  principally  consumed  are  from  England, 
direct,  and  occasionally  from  the  United  Stales,  including  goods  from  the 
European  continent  and  the  East  Indies.  The  amount  cf  imports  may  be 
calculated  at  about  three  millions  per  annum  of  foreign  goods,  besides  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  the  different  manufactures  of  this  Republic.  Returns 
are  made  in  gold  and  silver  bullion.  And,  lastly,  wheat  and  hides  (the  exports 
of  the  former)  may  be  calculated  at  about  three  millions  per  annum,  and  say 
half  a  million  of  the  other  articles,  including  copper.  Our  trade  is  evidently 
on  the  increase.  Regarding  Mazatlan,  from  personal  observation,  I  should 
judge  that  the  business  done  there  is  about  three  times  more  than  that  of 
this  port — their  exports  being  in  coined  silver  and  gold,  Brazil  wood,  and 
hides,  principally. 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  in  haste,  your  obedient  servant, 

JUAN  A.  ROBINSON. 
Hon.  SYLVESTER  MOWRY, 

Delegate  from  Arizona. 


